


Dealing with Drama

by TheSonofTartarus



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Bondage and Discipline, Come Eating, Come Inflation, Come Marking, Come Sharing, Come Shot, Come Swallowing, Dom Percy Jackson, Dom/sub, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Groping, Harems, Incest, Mount Olympus (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Multi, Ogygia (Percy Jackson), Oral Sex, Percy has a monster cock, Percy has twin sisters, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rough Kissing, Rough Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Shameless Smut, Sibling Incest, Smut, Sub Aphrodite (Percy Jackson), Sub Artemis (Percy Jackson), Sub Athena (Percy Jackson), Sub Calypso (Percy Jackson), Sub Drew Tanaka, Sub Hestia (Percy Jackson), Sub Hunters of Artemis (Percy Jackson), Sub Piper McLean, Sub Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Sub Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Sub Thalia Grace, Twincest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 16:08:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 26,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29778681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSonofTartarus/pseuds/TheSonofTartarus
Summary: A lot has happened between The Second Giant War and now. But the Gods are still stupid enough to believe that a harem and godhood can cure Percy's PTSD. [Percy/Artemis/Aphrodite/Athena/Hestia/Rachel/Calypso/Thalia/Drew/Piper/Reyna/Hunters of Artemis]
Relationships: Aphrodite/Percy Jackson, Artemis/Percy Jackson, Athena/Percy Jackson, Calypso/Percy Jackson, Hestia/Percy Jackson, Percy Jackson/Drew Tanaka, Percy Jackson/Original Female Character(s), Percy Jackson/Piper McLean, Percy Jackson/Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Rachel Elizabeth Dare/Percy Jackson, Thalia Grace/Percy Jackson, The Hunters of Artemis/Percy Jackson
Kudos: 45





	1. Disclaimer

The start of a new dawn....

Time flies, but we feel stationary, and bored. I shudder to think of the day when Wattpad and fanfiction will be obsolete. I wonder about death, what happens after we die. Some say God happens, I say we turn to bones, to ashes, to dust. After death, all, mothers, brothers, sisters, are nothing but a distant memory, and a burden. 

But as it is, I'm writing this new book filled with smut galore, and still feel as if there is nothing to worry about. There are miles to go before I sleep.

Pain, pleasure, all the bodily sensations that make us feel alive.... glorified by Satanists, metalheads, and embraced by sadists and masochists alike. 

I'm no different than them, with flaws enough that I could have gone on and on. 

I think my rambling just gave me some idea of what I'll write next chapter. 

This book is dedicated to aura_evans. Maybe this can encourage you to update faster, and keep up the good work that you taken up. I'll be joining you after this book is completed, for I have made up my mind that my next story will be a HP fanfic. 

Now, what this chapter really is for. 

I don't own PJO/HOO. Uncle Rick does. 

I'm just a backyard nerd with an interest in palaentology. 

Hope you enjoy!


	2. Prologue: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo... how should the naming scheme be? I mean how should I name my chapters? I am thinking of sticking to the original scheme- the book's name is 'Dealing with Drama', so the name schemes can always be alliterating. Like... 'Tying Thalia', or 'Teaching the Twins', or 'A Nervous Nerd'.

**_Time: Five Years After the Dark Prophecy (ToA)_ **

Life is fleeting.

One moment you are there, the other, you are not. 

And we spend most of the precious little time that we have on this planet in strife.

Percy still stared at the spot in disbelief, not fully comprehending what had just transpired. 

A war was raging around him, but he could not bring himself to care. The sky was burning, the dark clouds angry and foreboding. The strong breeze that buffeted him, ruffling his shirt and making his messy hair even messier, brought with it a stench of the dead. He could still smell the slight undertone of the fresh invigorating earth that had been there, before the war. The Field of Mars was a fun place, a fun place where you could hang out with the other legionnaires from the 12th Legion, play war games on Fridays, conducting drills on other days. Now it was a blood-soaked battlefield, the field which had been once covered with soft, green grass; soothing to the bare feet, now strewn with dead and dying soldiers of both sides. 

Sparks flew up on all sides, the sounds of clashing metal and dying screams ringing out through the battlefield. The dark clouds that shadowed the sky, blocked out the sun, had a silver lining. Percy wanted to laugh at the idea, nothing could have a silver lining now. The bright blue patches of sky that peeked out behind the clouds burned with a ferocious intensity that had Percy shielding his eyes and turning away. His feet sank into the mud, the fertile soil of the Field of Mars running red with blood, seeping into the soil and making it a bloody, sticky sludge. 

For once, Percy felt overwhelmed. He cowered behind the fortified wall, even as the fighting carried on around him, not looking the part of a heroic demigod. 

It was just... too much for him. 

The ringing in his ears, the stench in his nostrils, the burn in his muscles. He squeezed his eyes shut, embracing the dark sanctuary of his broken, shattered mind. The more he tried not to think of the chaotic world outside, the more he became conscious of the mud beneath his feet, the flecks of blood, cool and repulsive, on his face. 

Percy wondered about death, what happened after one died. Being Greek, he thought that after death, one went to Hades to await judgement. He knew it better than most, having visited the Underworld himself. But he still thought.... how did it feel to know you are not alive? To know you are just a memory, helpless to do anything to influence the world? Percy wasn't sure if he would like that.

Some mortals said God happened after death. God with a capital G, the omnipotent, benevolent being, not the immortal, morally retarded beings that passed for God to the Greeks. They said God watched over all, that God stood for love, and forgiveness. Personally, Percy wasn't so sure, after seeing the Greek goddess of Love. 

Percy hadn't felt love until she came along. A beautiful blonde with stormy grey eyes that had judo flipped him over her shoulder. He had his mother sure, but whatever parental love she gave was outweighed by the abuse he suffered as a child at his step-father's hands. He knew he shouldn't blame his mother for that, and he didn't- she had been his beacon of light during the darkest times of his life- but he couldn't help but feel a bit neglected from her part. It wasn't really Sally's fault, between all the jobs that she worked to make ends meet, he supposed she couldn't really take time out for him. 

But gradually, the blonde replaced Sally as his beacon of hope. His mother had never been happier than when he confessed. 

Nihilists said all dead turned to bones, to ashes, to dust. After death, all, mothers, brothers, sisters, are nothing but a distant memory, and a burden. Percy agreed with them from personal experience, knowing that mourning never got anybody any good. 

But now, after seeing her gone, he couldn't bring himself not to care. 

She had been there one moment, and the next thing he remembered was staring hard at an empty patch of land. There was nothing that remained of her, no flesh or bones to cremate. Maybe some of the blood that pooled around his feet was hers, mixing with those of other loved ones to create a sick, twisted tribute to love and life.

The thought made him sick.

Pain, pleasure, all the bodily sensations that made him feel alive.... glorified by Satanists, metalheads, and embraced by sadists and masochists alike. 

Percy briefly wondered if that is why he was so into Bondage and BDSM, or why he liked heavy metal so much. 

He remembered the two of them tentatively experimenting after Jason's untimely death. Alcohol had helped a lot. 

Their first time had been... awkward.

It never felt... right, having loving, slow sex with her. 

That is, until, he discovered her masochistic desires, and was only too eager to reciprocate. He still felt the pain and pleasure, the soft and the hard, all the mundane feelings assaulting his senses, overwhelming his mind. 

Percy laughed to himself. He was sick. His mind was twisted. After her death, this is what he could think of. 

How well her moans sounded to his ears as he worshipped her body with his lips, her stormy eyes behind a blindfold, her strong, mischievous hands and feet tied to the bedposts. How deliciously it hurt when she bit down hard on his neck, drunk on lust, high on pleasure. 

Unconsciously, his hand raised up to his collarbone, where he placed it almost reverently on a purple love bite peeking out from underneath his orange shirt. It had been last night, where they had fun for the last night, in case one of them did not return from the final battle. The last time he would ever tie her up and ravage her. 

How much would Percy give to have himself in her place, if only she would breathe again. 

She was still on his mind. 

Her last moments of life. 

She seemed so full of life and hope.

Now she was.... just gone. 

Her curly blonde hair shining bright even in the darkness, her grey eyes dancing with mirth as her soft, pink lips parted in the middle of a snide remark. Her Yankees cap askew on her head, her orange shirt identical to his, her shorts showing off her long, smooth legs. 

The next moment, nothing was there. No shirt, no cap, no Annabeth. All that remained was blood and shrapnel from a cannonball.

Annabeth. Percy breathed out slowly, trying to control his raging emotions. She shouldn't have had to go through that. Nobody should have had to go through what they went through. 

"Dude!" Someone cried out, rudely jolting him out of his serene thoughts. 

Percy turned around, just in time to see a Roman dispatch another monster. All that remained was golden dust gently floating to the ground. He wore the standard purple SPQR shirt. His words were lost to him, mixing in with the ringing, the haunting sounds of the battle that raged around him. He was just another face he would forget the next day. 

Piper's face floated to his mind. She was beautiful, Percy wouldn't deny it. If he had not have had Annabeth, he would have been jealous of Jason for getting her as a girlfriend. Her creamy, tanned skin, her soft, pink lips smiling softly at him. The way she always braided a single- always a single one- lock of her soft brown hair with a beautiful feather. The entrancing kaleidoscopic eyes of the half-Cherokee girl that burned with rage at her foes, and care for her friends. 

Percy felt an uncontrollable, burning rage bubbling in his chest, threatening to tear a scream from his throat. Raw adrenaline pumped in his veins, numbing him to all the pain, the burn in his cramped muscles. 

Now the leader of both the Roman and Greek demigods, Percy stretched up to his full height of over six feet, his eyes burning with unadulterated, monstrous fury. He would have his vengeance. 

His Roman saviour's eyes widened at the sudden transformation, and he unconsciously took a step back. Percy noted his movement without conscious effort, his eyes following the contraction and relaxation of his every muscle like the apex predator that he was. He had never realised that he had never left.

The son of Poseidon's dark hair, darker than the clouds overhead, cascaded down in silky black locks to partially hide his forehead. His sea-green swirled with power, rage, hurt and an unquenchable hunger. The darkness in his heart reared its ugly head once again as he turned around to glare hatefully at the horrible abomination that was the Roman Triumvirate. 

The three were engaged in fierce combat with Artemis and Apollo, as he was called now, Lester Papadopoulos. 

Apollo was getting butchered out there. He would have been dead long ago if Artemis had not been there. 

Artemis.... Percy felt another pang of hurt. She had been close to Annabeth and Percy, and the three of them- Annabeth, Artemis, and Thalia- were always planning something behind his back, pranking him senseless during his prolonged stay with the Hunt after Orion's massacre. After the incident, only seven Hunters made it out alive. Artemis.... if only she knew what had happened to her 'honorary Hunter'.

His dark sea-green eyes swept the battlefield, looking for other familiar faces. He briefly caught a glimpse of Reyna, her beautiful silky black hair framing her aristocratic face as she fought, before she was swallowed again by the chaos. 

Towards the back of the Olympian army, relatively safe, he caught the Hunters.

His eyes quickly sought out the lone form of Thalia, before darting to the ones behind her. His two little sisters- Rose and Violet, were safe. They looked dangerously and cute, as they sniped at monsters from a distance at a rapid pace. 

Thalia stood beside her little sister. Neo had identical electric blue highlights in her dark hair, that just screamed, 'daughter of Zeus'. She looked cute, too, the last of the 'Little Big Three', as Percy liked to call them. Neo, Rose, and Violet were inseparable, and Percy and Thalia had bonded over their equally mischievous little sisters. 

He quailed again when he caught Thalia's forlorn expression. She had seen everything. Her spear head rested limply on the ground, Aegis loosely held in her other hand. Her black hair was sticking to her face with sweat, her electric blue highlights making her visible from a distance. Such a stealthy Hunter she was. 

Her electric blue eyes were blank, her lips and face not giving away a thing. Silently, she raised a spear, skewering a lone hellhound that had tried to sneak up on Rose without even looking. Showing surprising strength, she lifted the hellhound clean off the ground with a little grunt, flinging it like a marshmallow to where it crashed into its fellow monsters, breaking a few bones as it slowly bled out.

Percy understood the gesture almost as well as if he would if Thalia had herself whispered it into his ear. 

Kill. 

Give in to instinct.

Percy tore his eyes away from her, again sweeping the battlefield. 

He picked out a lone pegasus. Blackjack was with Rose and Violet, protecting his little sisters from monsters, so he was left without a steed. 

The pegasus he saw had a beautiful cream coat, though its beauty was marred by the blood drenching its forelocks, and the ugly blood splattered on its hind. One of her wings had been clipped off cruelly, hanging by a few tendons, and the stump bled profusely as she tried to take off, flapping her one good wing, and the stub that was left of the other, the broken part lying limp on the ground. 

Percy's heart retched at the sight. 

Her wings were gorgeous, despite the blood soaking her soft feathers, the beautiful fluffy, white feathers tipped with the same cream colour that was her coat, slowly turning pink as the blood soaked them.

Percy knew what had happened. 

It happened too much. 

Her rider had been shot off her seat. She was courageous, he had to give her that. Despite the pain from her almost severed wing, she was raring to go, neighing impatiently and trying to join the other pegasi as they rode by with their riders, but was beaten off by the Roman legionnaires for messing with their formation as they charged. The Roman pegasi, who stood taller than her, kicked at her chest with their hooves impatiently, making her back off and stay in the same spot, bearing her pain in silence, open to fire.

The mare without a rider met eyes with the warrior without a ride, almost as if feeling his intense power. No words were needed then. 

Percy looked back at Thalia once for confirmation, only to receive an almost imperceptible nod in return. 

He moved quickly, sheathing Anaklusmos on his back, leaving the relative safety of the fortified wall. 

He did not run per se, but nobody had seen a man move so fluidly, I so purposefully. He was as suited to movement on land as he was in the sea, and he was the son of Poseidon. 

With a few quick strides he had reached the mare, who was standing still, apparently knowing what was to come. 

Percy picked up a relatively heavy battleaxe from her feet, gently prying open the dead fingers that clutched at it possessively. The mare had stayed by her master's side even in death. 

"Lizzy." She told him her name as he shook the axe to get the excessive blood off, revealing the beautiful twisted Damascus pattern on the Imperial Gold blade and handle. Gems were embedded in the handle, rubies gleaming as red as the blood beneath his feet, emeralds that shined as bright as his eyes. 

Without a word- Percy was not sure if he was capable of speech- he chopped off Lizzy's mutilated wing, summoning the water in the air to crudely heal her bleeding stump. 

He stepped over the severed wing, feeling the delicate bones crunching under his boots, seeping into the blood-soaked earth, her soft feathers losing all innocence as they were subjected to cruel perversion by the thick fluid. 

Percy jumped into her saddle, shifting the heavy battleaxe into his right hand as his left weaved through her soft, silky smooth mane shifting her silver hair on to the other side, just as she was comfortable. 

Lizzy spoke unusually less for a pegasus, Percy assumed she was in as much shock as he was. 

The only thing left was what they had been doing for years then, a desperate charge to their deaths. 

Rider and ride were one as they charged through the frontlines, not stopping as they broke through enemy lines into the heart of enemy territory, where Artemis and Lester were. 

Percy appeared to be unusually good at wielding the enormous, heavy battleaxe, using its obscene reach to mow down enemies far and near. Lizzy almost seemed to know when he would do what, as she would throw her weight to one side as he shifted the battleaxe from right to left hand, switching hands like a god to kill monsters on both sides of the rampaging pegasus. For her part, Lizzy never stopped, never faltered as she charged, weaving in and out of enemies like a swan, her blood-splattered body slick and smooth, gleaming in the light. Blades passed within a hair's breadth of her muzzle, cannonballs whizzed over her head, but she did not feel afraid. 

As long as she felt her rider firm on the saddle, there was nothing that could deter her. She was guided by the slightest touch of the reins, and Percy seemed to know what she was thinking, what she wanted, almost as well as she knew what he wanted. 

Percy guided Lizzy expertly despite her handicap, her other wing tucked tightly into her flank as he charged. The golden axe that he held in his hand, almost as tall as he was, weaved through the monsters thick on either side of him, killing and bashing with abandon. 

Percy did not care to look back at the absolute carnage that he had wrought. Demigod, monster, mortal, friend or foe, died alike by his axe that day as he lost all sense, all those who could not jump out of his way were cleaved in half. 

One moment, he was riding at full speed, the next, he was flying through the air. 

Lizzy had tripped over a dead Greek camper, sending him flying. 

Percy, flying through the air, clutching his axe, looked back to confirm if she was indeed okay. And she was. 

Lizzy was standing up again, though her front knees were rather badly cut and bleeding. She neighed out to him, before limping out of the way, chased off again by enemy fire.

Percy found that he did not care. 

He gripped the battleaxe in his hand tighter, using it to vault over Nero, and lodged the blade deep into Commodus' shoulder, making the emperor scream in pain as his sword dropped from his useless arm. 

Percy felt a deep pain in the right side of his chest, and looked down to see a sword buried to the hilt in his ribcage. His eyes widened with fury. 

He no longer felt pain. He was high on adrenaline, and his blood boiled. His heart howled in fury. 

He snarled at Caligula, wiping his smirk off his face as Percy effortlessly shattered the arm holding the sword with the Imperial Gold handle of his heavy axe, forcing the Roman to let go. The Roman howled in pain as Percy grabbed a firm hold of his throat, effortlessly flinging him into the mutilated Commodus. The two crashed, and went down in a tumble of blood and splinters of bone. The twin archers jumped out of the way just in time, ducking and scampering away as Percy swung his axe around to shift his grip again, switching into the defensive. 

The last of the Triumvirate tried to jab at him with his spear, but Percy backhanded Nero's attempt without even looking at him, slamming the butt of his long-handled axe into the latter's skull, effectively knocking him out. 

It was no competition. The son of Poseidon briefly wondered from where he had got so good at wielding the undoubtedly heavy battleaxe that he had just picked up from Lizzy's dead rider a few minutes ago. 

He winced as he got a good hold of the sword in his chest, pulling it out with a low grunt. The pain erupted in a blazing volcano that set his nerves on fire, and he briefly wondered if this is what Annabeth felt at the point of her death. His mortal blood erupted in a thick spring of red fluid that bubbled forth from his open wound. Percy guessed that the sword had barely missed his heart, and had punctured his lung. He could feel his broken ribs sticking out of his back, puncturing the skin. 

He heard a soft gasp coming from the moon goddess as she looked at his fatal wound.

Percy stared at the three mutilated bodies, thrusting the butt of his bloodsoaked axe into the soil. He was still bleeding, but he did not care. He felt cold, but his blood was warm. The right side of his body drenched in slick blood, was ignored. 

Percy did not know what he wanted to do. 

He just wanted them to hurt. 

He broke the promise he had made to Annabeth in Tartarus. He boiled their blood as he had boiled Akhlys.

He cut out their tongues. 

He castrated. 

He made them eat each other's eyeballs. 

He chopped off their fingers. 

He scalped them.

He carved their bodies. 

He did the 'Blood Eagle', and strung the three of them up on pikes, their lungs hanging out. 

He punctured their stomachs, and let their stomach acid slowly dissolve their bodies. 

He was covered in gruesome blood, flesh, caked with dirt, drenched in gore. 

Percy did not care. 

He just wanted them to hurt. 

He defiled their bodies with knives even as they died. 

Their screams was music to his ears. 

Percy faintly remembered Artemis crying for him to stop. 

Apollo pleading with him to get his wound checked. He would die in a few minutes. 

Percy did not care. He wanted to die. He just wanted to die knowing the Triumvirate paid their due. 

He remembered Thalia standing silently by his side as he tortured. 

Rose and Violet trying to plead with their big brother. 

Blackjack nuzzled his neck affectionately, reminding him that he had yet to get him the doughnuts he had promised. 

Lizzy neighed from a distance, where she was being gently cared for by the twin daughters of Poseidon. 

The other Hunters begging him to stop. Reasoning that they were dead already.

Percy did not know. He just wanted them to hurt. All his higher brain functions had devolved to this primitive state. 

He did not know after how long, but he finally felt his body weakening, falling limp. The shadows in his eyes crawled up to him. The darkness in his heart roared. 

Percy slid to the ground, lying in the mud and blood and puke. 

Anaklusmos held tightly in his hand. His other hand was still tightly wrapped around the golden handle of his newly acquired battleaxe. 

Percy only felt regret that he would not be able to fight with his excellent weapons again.

It was night by that time. 

Percy laid on his back, staring up at the sky. The dark clouds had disappeared, and the purple night sky twinkled brightly with innumerable stars. There was a gentle breeze, carrying with it the faint smell of the sea. Percy could make out the constellation The Huntress, made in honour of Zoë. It twinkled brightly in the dark sky. He tried to reach up, trying to touch the untouchable. 

Faces swam in and out of his vision. Crying faces, worried faces. A flash of auburn hair. Teary electric blue eyes. His little sisters pleading with him not to leave them. 

Percy felt someone press on the wound in his chest, trying to stifle the bleeding, injecting something into his arm. 

He felt himself being moved, but he resisted as well as he could, the grip on his weapons tightening. 

Faces swam in his vision. He could no longer distinguish between any of them. 

The only thing he could recognize was curly blonde hair shining bright even in the darkness, grey eyes dancing with mirth as soft, pink lips parted in the middle of a snide remark. A Yankees cap askew on the girl's head, her orange shirt identical to his, her shorts showing off her long, smooth legs. 

Annabeth. His mind supplied a name to the visage of the goddess. His goddess. 

Percy wondered if Valhalla existed. 

Maybe he could reunite with all his lost friends at the Hall of Heroes. 

Maybe the Norse would let a few Greeks into their ranks. 

Maybe that was Odin's wing women coming for the son of Poseidon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was it? Took me a few hours to write. 
> 
> Keep calm and CR7!! Keep calm and LM10!! (Messi)


	3. Prologue: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clear up all your doubts, I haven't read ToA. There will be no major spoilers in the book, I've just set the time.

**_Time: A year after Orion's Massacre_ **

Percy plopped down on the log beside Artemis, snaking his hand around her shoulders, and held her close to his chest. The auburn-haired goddess sighed softly, leaning into his chest, in her eighteen-year-old body. 

On his other side, Thalia snuggled into him, hugging his arm tightly. 

Annabeth sat at his feet, resting her back against the log, and draping his legs around her petite frame. 

Percy whined playfully about being trapped, but was promptly ignored. 

Artemis was listless, reflecting the mood of her Hunters. Her auburn hair had assumed a silver tint in the dull moonlight, making her look like the goddess she was. Her eyes stared into the dancing flames of the campfire, reflecting the orange light in her silver irises. She had a sad, depressed air about her, and had the beginning of bags under her eyes. Her hair was slightly knotted, and her uniform was not as impeccable as it usually was. The bright silver had turned dull, the silver dagger she used to roast marshmallows was not as sharp as before. 

Thalia was dressed in her usual goth style, her flowing, silky black hair cascading down in a soft waterfall down her back. Her eyes were closed as she basked in Percy's warmth, her soft pink lips parted as she let out soft breaths, almost on the brink of falling asleep. She was wearing a silver-studded black leather jacket, combat boots, and ripped black jeans that allowed Percy to catch a glimpse of the smooth pale skin of her toned legs. An elegant black choker sat snugly around her neck, and did not seem to bother the girl in the slightest as she dozed. 

Annabeth was dressed plainly in a standard-issue Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and shorts. Her luscious blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail as she absentmindedly played with her necklace of Camp beads. She stared into the flickering fire, for once not being able to pay attention to the book that lay open in her lap, apparently forgotten. Percy's bare legs were draped over her shoulders, his ankles resting on her soft thighs as she unconsciously massaged his bare feet slowly. Percy could not see her eyes, but he knew that her grey eyes were sharp and perceptive as always, providing him with an insight into her brilliant mind that processed stuff at superhuman speeds. 

Artemis suddenly shifted, pulling his arm closer around her shoulders as she leaned closer to him, hiding her face in his broad, clothed chest. Percy could tell she was trying not to cry. Trying to be strong for them. For her Hunters. 

His hand weaved through her soft hair, laying comfortingly on the back of her head, soothing her as he massaged her scalp. He applied slight pressure, encouraging her to let loose all her thoughts to him. He basked in the loving warmth the three girls exuded. 

Annabeth hugged his legs closer to her body, shivering slightly from the cold, despite the fire that was barely feet away from where she was sprawled. 

The sky was dark, the innumerable stars twinkling like always. The moon, a waxing crescent, glowed a dull yellow, which did not do much to illuminate the dark forest around them. The forest was alive with the sounds of nocturnal creatures, all the unknown critters making chirping noises. An owl flitted through the branches overhead, emitting a soft hoot as it went. The wind rustled the leaves of the coniferous trees, making the looming pines whisper as they waved their leafy arms. A soft shower of dry leaves drifted down to the forest floor with a gentle rustle. 

The Hunters, once the mightiest regiment of the Olympian armies, now sat a pitiful bunch of disorganized warriors around a dying campfire in the middle of nowhere. Their ranks had been thinned from over forty to only seven, excluding Thalia and Artemis. And of the seven, only Phoebe and Atalanta were left over from the ancient times. Of the others, only three were well trained, and two had been accepted just before the second Giant War. 

They sat on logs around the dying campfire, wallowing in self-pity as they roasted marshmallows. Once proud, their will had been broken by the loss of their sisters, and now they were no better than the average demigod. Some had dried tear tracks on their beautiful faces, and all their uniforms were askew, improperly maintained and dirty. The roasting of marshmallows had none of the fun it did- there was no singing, no catapulting molten sugar at others. It was done only as a mere tradition. The tension, regret and sadness in the air was so palpable it could be cut with a knife. 

Ruby, a daughter of Aphrodite recently recruited, was the first to break. She flung down her stick, and flipped her luscious cherry blonde hair over her shoulder in an attempt to appear confident, but in vain. Still looking as miserable as ever, the gorgeous daughter of Aphrodite trudged over to her tent, depressed, not having spoken one word the entire depressive evening. 

Percy's eyes followed her each and every movement, fixating on her perfect ass as it swayed enticingly, showing off her love genes. 

He assumed that man-hating was not the only criteria for being a Hunter. An unsaid criterion was left- each Hunter Percy had ever seen, from Zoë to Artemis to Thalia, was drop-dead gorgeous. It was not surprising that so many males lusted after them. 

Percy was jolted out of his thoughts when Annabeth nuzzled his crotch affectionately. Damn, she had detected his stirring member. Sending a sultry smirk his way, the blonde leaned further into his groin, placing soft kisses along his clothed thighs. "Master...." she moaned softly, so that she did not disturb anybody. "Did you see anything that you like?" She teased. 

Percy checked to see if Artemis or Thalia was stirring, and sure that they were both asleep, he leaned down, blowing into her ear, and making Annabeth shiver in delight and aroused anticipation. "Yes, yes I do. The whore I want is currently between my legs. And she will be taking thirteen inches up her ass tonight as punishment. Against the tree behind Artemis' tent." 

Percy smirked at the dazed look that crossed Annabeth's face. Slight drool escaped her perfect lips as she fantasized about being caught by Artemis... and many more things. Her calculating grey eyes glazed over in lust as the brilliant daughter of Athena became a mindless blonde bimbo, a side of her that only Percy saw or was allowed to see. 

"You are nothing but a cum-starved nympho, you know that?" 

"Yes, master. I'm your cumdump..." 

Whatever she was going to say was cut off next as Artemis stirred, making Percy jerk back abruptly. 

He shook Artemis and Thalia awake gently to wake them up. 

Percy looked up at the night sky as they stirred, yawning cutely as they rubbed their tired, sleepy eyes. The two girls stretched to get the kinks out of their tired bodies, showing off their natural flexibility, and revealing their bare sides. Percy's hands twitched as he tried not to tickle them, and he managed, though only barely. Instead, he lovingly ruffled their hair. 

"Come on, sleepyheads," he called, "Ruby has already gone off to her tent. Now off you go!" He clapped his hands, childishly adding, "Choo choo!" 

Thalia smacked his shoulder. "Shut up, Jackson. Act your age." Though she could not resist the smile tugging at her lips as Percy pouted. 

The son of Poseidon stood up, much to Annabeth's complaint, as she was forced to shut the book she was 'reading', and stand up with him. He pulled Artemis and Thalia up with him, hugging the three girls tightly to his chest in a bear hug. 

Annabeth laughed, a lovely tinkling sound that always made Percy's heart race. "Let go, Percy, I can't breathe!" It came out muffled. 

"Goodnight, Percy." Artemis hugged him, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. Her lips lingered for a moment on his skin, her warm, soft hand caressing his other cheek. All too soon, her warmth was gone, as the moon goddess trudged back to her tent, dragging her feet tiredly. 

"Goodnight, Jackson." Thalia tried to sound rude and uncaring, but failed miserably as she leaned up to place a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth, dangerously close to his lips. Percy tried to burn the memory of her soft lips into his mind, but she was gone, too, without a word, a slight blush on her cheeks. 

All the Hunters took their turn to hug the only acceptable male on the planet, kiss his cheek, and wish him goodnight. Percy reciprocated each one with the same childish eagerness that made them laugh. 

Once Annabeth and Percy were alone in the clearing, she gave him a knowing smile as she squeezed his hand. 

Percy squeezed her hand back, glaring at her. "Not a word." He hissed, to which Annabeth just shrugged. 

Percy's eyes narrowed, before he grabbed her book from her hand, flinging it carelessly into their tent. Annabeth protested, trying to reach out for the book, but was restrained by Percy, who slammed her into a tree, effortlessly holding her up with only a knee between her legs.

The daughter of Athena yelped, but was immediately silenced by the predatory look in Percy's eyes. She felt her panties soak as he growled possessively, his superior form dominating her petite body.

His lips met hers in a rough, hungry kiss as his hands tore at her clothes, making Annabeth moan wantonly as she was ravaged in the open, in clear sight of any Hunter that decided to take a midnight walk. 

The only resistance she offered was to wrap her slim, strong arms around Percy's neck, burying his face into her chest.

**_Time: A few days later_ **

Percy knocked on the wooden door, stepping back to stand beside Annabeth as the two waited for the door to be opened. Unconsciously, his hand sought out the daughter of Athena's, squeezing it as he stood. 

Soft smiles grew on their faces as they waited. 

The night was relatively calm, the moon was shining brightly in the cloudless sky. A few stars were visible, most gone due to the pollution in the city. There was no breeze, just the occasional burst of hot air coming in from the open windows in the corridor. Outside, on the street below, several cars honked and sped by, leaving great clouds of smoke and dust, their drivers in a great hurry. Humanity sped by, a rat race of millions, not sparing a moment to care for the fallen. 

The apartment building they were in, had a cosy and homely feel to it. The building was not for the affluent- there was paint and plaster peeling off the walls, and the rotting floorboards creaking, still, it was clean. Vases of fragrant flowers were potted at every few feet, and there were small plants on every windowsill. The rest of the building was silent, most of the residents being outside, but through the door that our two demigods stood in front of, there wafted a birthday song, it's words slightly blurred. 

The song stopped abruptly as the knock reverberated through the small, mostly silent, corridor. 

It was followed by a great rush as all the inhabitants fought to get the door, before a woman's soft voice called out. "Back! Back all of you!" She laughed, "Robert, help me out here!" 

A man, Percy assumed he was Robert, called out, "At once, love! Now, get back, all of you." There were a few weak protests, and a scuffling of feet, before everything fell silent once again. 

The door opened, revealing a middle-aged woman. She was of average height, her soft brown hair falling in gentle curls over her shoulder. Her face was undoubtedly beautiful, and there were smile wrinkles around her eyes. Her lips were curled up in a beautiful, natural smile directed towards the door, her dark eyes dancing with joy and happiness. She was wearing a simple apron, smeared with pink cream, stretched over her heavily pregnant belly. 

Her expression flipped one eighty degrees as she beheld Percy. She stumbled over her own feet, stuttering, "Po-Poseidon?" 

Percy's lips had curled up of their own accord seeing this loving mother. "No, Ma'am, may we come in?" 

The woman stuttered, "Of-of course! Oh, forgive my manners! Amanda Hill, at your service!" She opened the door, letting Percy and Annabeth step in. "Of course, welcome to our humble home!" 

Percy had to stoop low to enter through the door, his six foot five frame not allowing him easy entry. 

The demigod, looking, for all purposes like a hot, regal Greek god, stood in front of the doorway, towering over everything else in the room. Annabeth shut the door behind her, her other hand never leaving his. 

The occupants of the room looked up at Amanda and the two occupants, the perfect picture of a happy family. Percy's heart broke at the thought that he would have to tear them apart. Damn the gods to the deepest pits of Tartarus!

Robert was a middle-aged man, tall and slightly muscular, with dirty blonde hair and a bushy beard. His hazel eyes stared up at them with distrust. A blue party hat sat askew on his head. Two identical girls, twins, twelve years, stared up at Percy with a slight blush on their cheeks. Their perfectly tanned skin, sea-green eyes, told of their Poseidon heritage. They were sitting on the ground around a low lying table, on which there was a homemade strawberry cake with several blue candles. 

But the curveball? Sitting beside Robert on the couch, trying to hide herself, ogling Percy without shame, was another girl of the same age, with the most startling, and familiar, electric blue eyes. 

Percy almost stumbled and fell, if it had not been for Annabeth catching him. His jaw hung loose, his brain not being able to comprehend what he was seeing. 

Seeing his expression, Robert stood protectively in front of the daughter of Zeus. "Who are you? Why are you here?"

Percy tried to compose himself, but could not. Wordlessly pointing towards Annabeth, he collapsed on the floor, which, thankfully, did not give. 

Annabeth sighed, gesturing towards an empty chair beside the table. "May I sit?" 

Robert nodded, still eyeing Percy with distrust. 

Annabeth sat down gently on the chair, trying not to freak the family out more than Percy had already had. 

"We are sorry to interrupt your party, but we are here on really important business. Do they know?" She asked, staring Amanda in the eye. "And what about her?" 

"No, if you are who I think you are." Amanda shook her head. Then, stealing a quick glance at the daughter of Zeus, she mouthed, 'Adopted'. 

Annabeth composed herself, opening her mouth to say something, gently easing them up, but of course, Percy had to speak up without thinking. "Who are you?"

She stole a glance at the protective father, and forced to urge to slam her head into the wall when she noticed him about to blow up. 

"You think you can just enter my house, threaten my family, gawk at my daughter, and now-" 

Thankfully, he was cut off by Amanda. "The twins are Rose and Violet, and that is little Neveah." 

"Neo." The girl finally spoke up. 

Annabeth sighed. "I am sorry, Mr. Hill. Percy did not mean to be rude. He just talks without thinking." Ignoring the 'hey' in the background.

"As I am sure your wife would agree, we are here on important business. Your three daughters need to go-" 

"What do you mean?!" The man interrupted her. 

"-with us." Annabeth continued as if she had not been interrupted. "Their fathers have called for them." 

"Their fathers are dead!" He cried out. 

"Their fathers are very much alive." Annabeth ignored the laughter from the twins at some silly thing that Percy said. "Their fathers are gods."

Robert just stared at her, and then looked back at Amanda. To his dismay, she gave a slight nod. 

Annabeth dropped the metaphorical bombshell. "The Greek myths are all real." She waited for a moment, but when nothing came, she continued. "Rose, Violet, and Neo are demigods, children of a god and a mortal like yourself." 

Percy spoke up, finally serious. "It is a matter of life and death, you have to understand, Mr. Hill. I hope you will ignore my previous words, but believe me when I say that I have no idea how they survived so long without supervision. This is no laughing matter, and it cannot stretch indefinitely. They need to learn how to defend themselves, and come to the world where they belong. The world of gods." 

"Who-who are you?" Robert stuttered, not fully comprehending what he was being told. The three twelve-year-olds mirrored his sceptical expression. 

Percy cocked a grin. "I am Percy Jackson, General of the Olympian Armies, Demigod Son of Poseidon, God of the Sea, Earthshaker, Stormbringer, and Father of horses-"

"-forgive his theatrics. And I am this goof's girlfriend, Annabeth Chase. I am a daughter of Athena." She spoke with a slight tilt of her head. "I assume you three have ADHD and dyslexia?" 

Without waiting for an answer, she continued, "Your ADHD is not because of a lack of attention. Its because you notice too much- that's your battlefield reflexes keeping you alive- we are all warriors. And your dyslexia is because your mind is hardwired for Ancient Greek, not modern English." 

Everyone but Percy, Annabeth and Amanda were doing great impressions of goldfish by that point. 

Speaking of goldfish, Percy spoke up. "Rose and Violet are twin daughters of Poseidon, making them my little half-sisters." He ruffled their hair playfully, but received no reaction from the shocked girls. "And Neo is a daughter of Zeus, king of the gods." 

He then devolved in a fit of giggling, imagining Thalia's face as she stared at a twelve-year-old version of herself. 

Oh, wait.... Thalia saw a twelve-year version of herself every time she went to a coniferous forest.....

Only Percy ever found that particular joke funny. 

Even Grover had grown out of that one. 

"The world has gone barmy. You are all insane." So, Robert was in denial.

"No, Robert, they are speaking the truth." Amanda finally spoke up, affirming their words. "The girls need to go with them. For their own safety."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a few Percabeth scenes, because as you saw, she died last chapter. 
> 
> Keep calm and CR7!! Keep calm and LM10!! (Messi)


	4. Curing his Coma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....Would you believe me if I said I originally wanted to name this chapter 'Dumb Dumber Dumbo'?

**_Time: Six Months After the Last Battle_ **

Percy woke up feeling sore all over. 

He did not know where he was. 

He wondered if he was dead. 

Was that Annabeth holding his hand? Her hand was so soft. He gave her a reassuring squeeze. 

There was a soft gasp. 

Whispered words. Percy couldn't make out what words they were saying. 

There were multiple voices. 

'Angels.... I'm in heaven.'

He tried to laugh, but couldn't.

He tried to discern stuff, but couldn't. His eyes were covered by something, his ears were ringing. His mouth tasted like parchment, a rough, dry tongue. His lips were equally dry and rough. 

He felt a beard prickling his neck. His beard. His long matted hair stuck to his sweaty face. 

Unbidden, an image came to his mind. Blonde hair shining even in the darkness, grey eyes dancing with mirth, soft lips parted in the middle of a snide remark. A Yankees cap askew on her head. Shorts showing off her smooth, toned legs. 

His mind supplied a name to the ungodly apparition. Annabeth. 

His angel.

He felt soft hands gently prying open his mouth, holding his undoubtedly prickly, bushy jaw gently as if he were some priceless artefact. 

A fluid was poured into his mouth, thick with minute crumbs of... something. It tasted delicious, but had a bitter undertaste. It felt cool on his tongue, but left his mouth warm. It tasted like his mother's blue cookies, something which Annabeth baked him at Camp. 

He rinsed his mouth thoroughly with the wondrous fluid, not fully comprehending what he was supposed to do. His tongue felt soft and wet, velvety as it was supposed to feel, and his lips had also regained some of their natural softness. The simple action created a dent in the smoky haze that clogged his mental faculties. 

It took him some time to realise that it was normal, and that the drink was nothing but a nectar and ambrosia mixture. It probably had some herbal paste mixed in, too. 

Percy relaxed, gulping it after some internal debate. Apparently, it was the right thing to do, seeing as there was no rebuke yet. 

He relaxed into the soft bed, and tried to feel himself. Apparently, he was not dead, something which he bitterly regretted. 

He was naked, was the first thing that he observed. There was only a soft, fluffy towel covering his privates, slightly ticklish. He felt the fine, smooth, soft fabric of a thin blanket that covered the lower half of his body. His legs were propped up on some soft pillows. There was a bandage wrapped tightly over his chest, with what seemed like gauze, pressing tightly against the right side of his chest. It felt... wet, but Percy could not tell if the moisture was from blood or medicine. 

He felt himself sinking into the soft bed that he lay on, feeling like he was lying on a cloud. His skin felt damp, as if he had been swabbed recently to clean his body. His wet skin stung in the cold air of the room, a chilly draught of air blowing through wherever he was, forming goosebumps on his skin. Despite the cold, he sweated profusely, the moisture trickling down slowly along the side of his face. 

There was a beep, and he felt the cold air stop, though the temperature in the room was still quite low. 

"How are you feeling, Percy?" The voice was familiar, though Percy could not place a name to it.

Percy squeezed the warm, soft hand that held his larger paw again, to show his appreciation. A few minutes of silence later, he realised that he could speak. 

"I am..." His voice was rough, scratchy, and he coughed slightly to correct it. The simple gesture caused a burning pain to erupt in the right side of his chest, making him wince.

Immediately someone was at his side, handing him a glass of water. Percy accepted it thankfully, gulping down the life-giving liquid quickly. 

"I am fine..." He waited. His voice sounded fine this time, so he continued, "Where am I? Can this blindfold come off? What happened?"

"Sit up, Percy, then we'll explain." A soft voice came from his side. 

"Artemis? What... what is going on? What do you mean we?" 

Artemis sighed, before she removed the damp cloth from his eyes. Percy squinted as the cold air stung his sensitive eyelids, then opened his eyes, squinting at first. He was thankful for the dim lighting in the room as he struggled to comprehend the interior of the room. 

It was night. There was a closed window on the side of his window. Percy could faintly make out the moon by its silver glow. 

On his bedside table, there was a flower. It smelled like moonlace, so Percy assumed as such, but his eyes could not make out any further details. 

He tried to look in the interior of the room. 

Faces swam in his vision, their features unrecognizable. He tried to recognize people by their hair colour, but there was only so much he could identify. 

Artemis sat at his side, holding his hand, identified by her dark auburn hair. Twin flashes of electric blue showed that Thalia and Neo were standing at the foot of his bed. He assumed that the black hair in his bed belonged to his twin sisters. 

"How are you feeling, Perseus?" Hestia asked. Where was she? 

He ignored her location, instead correcting her, almost on instinct. "Its Percy." 

From somewhere else, someone snorted. "Definitely the son of Poseidon I know." Piper's voice swam. 

"Piper? Why is no one answering me? Where am I? Where is Annabeth?!" Percy asked, feeling a dreadful anxiety taking shape in his heart. 

"Percy... you're on Ogygia." A soft hand caressed his cheek, and the demigod couldn't help but lean into her touch. "I'm Calypso." Caramel hair entered his rudimentary vision. 

"Calypso... what happened?" 

"You were passed out for six months, Percy. You took a fatal wound fighting the Triumvirate." Phoebe answered, her voice trembling slightly. 

"When will my sight come back? Where's Annabeth?" Percy repeated his earlier question. 

There was a brief silence, which made Percy squirm in discomfort, as he felt that everybody was hiding something. 

"What happened?" He tried to sit up, but was pushed back into his pillows by a pair of soft hands. He tried to think what he was missing- some clue of what was going on- but came up with nothing. 

He was assaulted by two weights on his chest, and had a faceful of silky black hair. "Big brother!" Rose broke down, hugging him tightly, and burying her face into his chest, careful of his bandage. Percy felt her crying, her body wracked with sobs. 

Violet, who was trying to be strong, could not maintain her composure for long, as she hid her face in her big brother's neck, sobbing uncontrollably. Tears trickled down her beautiful face, and she ignored Percy's prickly beard. "You almost died!" 

Percy laughed, which again made him wince. Immediately he felt the identical twin daughters of Poseidon pull away. "Annabeth would have killed me if I died." He smiled softly at the thought of his angel. 

"Where is she?" He asked again. 

"Will you stop asking about her for one minute, Jackson?" Thalia rudely interrupted, though Percy could tell she was trying to suppress her emotions from the way her voice was high pitched. "When there are women around you, you don't think about other women." She laughed weakly at her own joke. 

"Sooo.... I was out for six months, and you couldn't improve the quality of your jokes, could you?" He smiled as he imagined the indignant look on her face. 

Someone embraced him gently. "Its good to have you back, big brother," Neo whispered softly as she pulled back. 

Percy smiled again as he heard Thalia grumble under her breath. "Jackson is taking away my sister from me, I know it..."

He felt his cheeks being kissed. "Glad to have you back, Jackson." Phoebe whispered in his right ear the same time Atalanta whispered in his left, "We were waiting for you..."

After going through the same motions with the rest of the Hunters, Percy felt himself being softly embraced by Hestia, identifiable by her pleasant scent of freshly baked bread and hearth. "You can't imagine my relief at seeing you awake, Percy." She spoke lovingly, "Its been too long." 

Piper was next, kissing his forehead protectively. "You almost gave me a heart attack, Percy. You owe me one." 

Percy went to chuckle, before remembering his wound. "You got it."

A pool of shiny blonde hair entered his vision. "Annabeth?" He asked unsurely, but he couldn't help but let a bit of hope creep into his voice. 

"No, hero, I am Aphrodite." A soft, surprisingly gentle voice answered him, a small, soft hand caressing his cheek gently. Percy was torn between feeling worried about Annabeth and surprised that the goddess of Love was capable of such gentle ministrations. 

"What are you doing here?" He asked, not being able to keep a bit of resentment from creeping into his voice, due to the unavoidable fact that she was not the one he was looking for. 

Aphrodite chuckled, a soft sound akin to the tinkling of bells. "What everybody else is doing." She answered cryptically.

Percy closed his eyes again, feeling his eyes burn from the prolonged exposure to the cool air after months of inactivity. Weird shapes swam in his vision, and he was tempted to rub his eyes, but before he could, he was restricted by Artemis, who had not moved from her spot. 

He felt someone sit down on his bed, beside him. The soft mattress sank down a bit, and like a sick child, he extended his hand blindly. Soft, nimble fingers twined together with his own. 

"Percy, are you absolutely fine?" Calypso asked softly. 

Percy shook his head. "Where is Annabeth?" 

"She is sleeping, Percy. She stayed by your side all this time, and is tired. Do you want me to go wake her up now? It's almost midnight." 

Percy shook his head, and felt Calypso briefly detach her fingers from his. The sound of a pen scratching away reached his ears. He tried to open his eyes, but they still stung, so he restricted himself to feeling Artemis' hand, which had never left his. He traced her soft palm with his rough fingers, before he felt his hand being taken by Calypso again. 

She held his wrist, presumably checking his pulse. After a brief period of silence, interrupted by their gentle breaths, she asked, "Do you remember what happened?" 

Percy shook his head. "No, you told me that I took a fatal wound fighting the.... Triumvirate. I don't remember anything else. It's all foggy." 

"Can you try to remember?" 

Percy complied, concentrating on any memories he had of the final battle. He remembered preparing with the Hunters, sharpening Anaklusmos, chatting with them deep into the night. Then dawn came, there were fortifications of the Field of Mars, monsters marching across the Tiber.... cannonballs firing, the roars of monsters.

Percy was violently shaken out of his thoughts. 

There were loud whispers all around him. The shadows of the night were crawling up to him, the moon was red, dripping with blood. A faceless woman sat in place of Calypso, sharpening a knife. He looked up at Artemis, to see her holding him down. The auburn-haired beauty mouthed sorry, before looking away. 

There were loud booming noises, like the echoing sound of a thousand cannons firing together, thunderous knocking on the door, before it broke down. 

Monsters flooded into the room he lay in, helpless and bound to the bed. Hellhounds howled for blood- Percy's blood- faceless, shadowy demons danced around him, Kelly the empousai cackled with laughter. Suddenly, the towering form of the Minotaur entered the room, shaking its bull head. It's horns caught on the door frame, but they crumbled to dust as it snorted, raising his axe high above his head-

Percy expected the axe to crash into the ceiling, but nothing happened. The ceiling stretched away from the monster, allowing it enough room to wield its enormous weapon. Percy tried to move- to do something- he would not go down without a fight, but he could not move. It was almost as if the shadows of the night themselves restricted him, pinning his arms to the bed. 

It all was happening too fast.

Percy faintly heard Artemis calling for him, telling him to wake up, and he realised it was all a nightmare. 

He was back in the previous room, all the monsters gone. 

He turned towards the side. Artemis was still holding him down, and the faceless woman was still there. 

There was the thunderous bang of a cannon going off in the distance. The roars of dying soldiers. Percy felt the coll metal of Anaklusmos' handle thrust into his hand, but he could not raise it. He was too weak. He watched as the faceless woman held the knife at his throat, not bothering Percy's violent struggling, futile against Artemis' godly strength. 

Percy bolted upright, his heart beating madly. He could feel his open wound bleeding profusely. The room was in chaos, Calypso was injecting something into his arm, Artemis was holding him tightly, her beautiful face streaked with tears. The Hunters were sobbing uncontrollably, holding onto each other. Piper stood beside Calypso, holding a tray. 

He observed all this in a second, straining his eyes to see everything. 

Someone else entered the room, but Percy couldn't care less. 

Percy did not know where the others were, nor did he care a single bit. 

He was sure he was dying. He could not breathe, he felt as if a great boulder was crushing his chest. He was hyperventilating. He did not know how he looked then, but he felt sure that his normally tanned skin was pale, and his eyes were dull. His hair stuck to his face, the bedsheets were drenched with sweat. He noticed someone had switched on the air conditioner again, and he was thankful for that. He noticed how their shadows danced and elongated, calling for him to join them. 

Percy shook his head. It was all a horrible hallucination, nothing more. 

"Percy...." Hestia whispered, "we are here. You have nothing to fear." 

Rose and Violet were crying, their petite bodies wracked with sobs, clutching him possessively. They were gently pried away from his bleeding chest. 

"Percy, you have PTSD. Try to relax, and sleep. We will be treating you now." Calypso whispered, afraid of causing another relapse of his nightmare fit. "No need to think. Just keep your head blank. No more questions, you will receive your answers when it is time." 

Percy nodded dumbly, shutting his eyes and relaxing into the soft bed, thankful for the reprieve.

He felt someone hold his hand again, and lean in close. Their breath tickled his sweaty face.

"Percy.... I am here." Percy recognized it to be Rachel's voice. Her undoubtedly blazing red hair caressed his bearded cheek gently. Her voice shook with emotion. Her pleasant scent, her unidentifiable cologne, mixed with fresh paint stimulated his nasal faculties. He knew that she had been painting. 

"I am sorry for disturbing you all. You must be so tired." He apologized, feeling sad and ashamed. 

"Nonsense, Jackson." Thalia interjected, and another Hunter, Cynthia, a daughter of Nemesis, added, "You disturbed no one. We are only relieved that you woke up at all." 

Atalanta picked up her line. "You were..." 

She was rudely interrupted by Hestia. "There were some complications when you were healing, Percy. You were in a coma. Annabeth was very worried for you." 

Percy smiled softly, remembering how his Wise Girl fretted every time he did something stupid. "Sounds like her." He ignored the sounds of shuffling and whispered rebukes in the background, their words not making sense to his foggy mind. 

"I must say, I never expected Piper of all people to be so medically talented," Aphrodite commented offhandedly. 

Calypso stifled a laugh as she slit open the bandage that covered Percy's chest. "She surprised me, too. She has a knack for ancient healing, surprisingly. Something which neither Apollo nor Asclepius has. I think it has to do with you being descended from Ouranos."

"More like she sprang magically from castrated balls in the middle of nowhere," Artemis muttered under her breath, so that Aphrodite could not hear. 

Despite his less than normal hearing, Percy picked up her words, and snorted in laughter. 

Calypso immediately stifled him. "Shush everyone. No laughing, Percy." 

Percy nodded, childishly making a lips zipped motion. There were silent laughs from the others in the room. 

"I am warning you..." Calypso threatened, snipping a part of his beard with her sharp scissors to add to the threat. 

"I didn't..." Percy started, before falling quiet as both his hands were squeezed hard by Artemis and Rachel. 

Calypso removed his gauze gently, and judging from the gasps in the room, it didn't look quite good. Percy could attest to that. Without the bandage and wet gauze to press tightly against his wound, Percy could feel his skin stretched taught in the area, sticky with various medicines. As Calypso pressed gently at various points, thunderbolts of burning pain shot through his core, making Percy gasp. As her nimble fingers gently swabbed the area with wet cotton, Percy could feel the uneven, bumpy skin there from large stitches, somehow different from the other scars that littered his skin.

All the while, Piper was making comments under her breath, and scribbling away at something, most probably taking notes. "It looks much better than before." 

"You call that better!" Phoebe's voice was high-pitched. There was whispering, and Percy assumed that Atalanta, the only other healer in the room, apart from Calypso and Piper, was explaining some medical mumbo jumbo to him. 

Calypso stopped her examination. "No need to worry, Percy." She patted his beard, the part which she had snipped off, "You will be doing a thousand push-ups in three weeks time, give or take two days."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, Percy's thoughts is what the Physics department thought of us when we were studying medicine, and what we thought of their mathematical mumbo jumbo. There will be no update tomorrow, BTW. I'm taking Lace out for a party hosted by... some relative whom I don't know. All I know is that it is being hosted at the biggest club in Calcutta.
> 
> Keep calm and CR7!! Keep calm and LM10!! (Messi)


	5. Telling the Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still waiting for Sabaton to release Livgardet's English version.

**_Time: A few weeks later_ **

"Nine hundred and ninety-eight, nine hundred and ninety-nine.... and that's one thousand." Calypso intoned in a bland voice, making Piper giggle. 

Calypso was sitting on the bed which was usually occupied by Percy. She was dressed in a beautiful white dress with gold trimmings, which drew Percy's eyes to her bountiful chest no matter how much he tried to keep them from wandering. Her waist and back were covered with some thin, lacy fabric, revealing her creamy, pale skin. The golden frill that the dress ended in, reached a bit below her knees. She was barefoot- she was always barefoot- and was swinging her legs childishly out of sheer boredom. Done in her regular elegant braid, her luscious caramel hair was thrown over her shoulder, drawing attention to her heavenly face, and almond-shaped amber eyes. 

Piper was leaning against a table, absentmindedly playing with a sharp pair of surgical scissors. Her relatively short, spiky brown hair was let down, a single lock braided with a beautiful red and green feather. Wearing just a white t-shirt and shorts with sneakers, she had just returned from her regular run. Sweat rolled down her forehead, her tanned skin flushed pink with exhaustion. Her clothes stuck to her skin, and Percy's eyes trailed down her skin, clearly visible through her almost transparent shirt, to her toned legs. Her hypnotic kaleidoscopic eyes constantly changed colour, though her bored expression never changed. 

Percy knew both of their expressions were clearly fabricated acts. He could clearly feel their gazes as they mentally undressed him. He had even caught them in the act a few times, as they ogled him without shame, sporting vibrant pink blushes. 

After he had discovered Annabeth's masochistic and voyeuristic desires, quite by accident, he had gained enough confidence to shamelessly flirt with the females at Camp Half-Blood. Although that had not won him any bonus points with the Hunters, instigating the other gender (and sometimes his own) to blush furiously, was one of the few things that functioned as his daily entertainment. 

So, yes, contrary to popular belief, he was not hopelessly clueless, and knew what he was doing. Most of the time. 

Percy collapsed to the ground, leaning against the wall to catch his breath. It had taken him twenty minutes to do a thousand pushups, something which he had never done before. It had taken him a few weeks to be able to achieve the feat. The first few times when he had tentatively taken one push up after Calypso had deemed him healed enough, hot, pain comparable to burning spikes of molten lava shot through his entire core, putting him out of action for the entire day. 

Annabeth visited him frequently throughout his stay at the infirmary under Calypso's care, spending a few hours with him each time. Although Percy would have liked her to stay longer, he understood that she had several jobs to do and had to constantly run errands to Olympus. 

The Hunters were practically permanent fixtures in the infirmary, whether they were healing from injuries taken while sparring, or spending time with him. At any point during the day or sometimes night, there were at least two Hunters with him. 

Several other girls had visited him during his stay. Reyna was the only one who had not been there the night he had woken up. She had been bone-tired after an entire day of working out. 

The other girl was Athena. She never visited him, or talked to anyone else, if what the girls told him, was anything to go by. They told him that she had holed up in the library, and only came out during meals. 

Another girl who was on Ogygia, but had never visited him, was Drew. Percy did not know why Aphrodite or Drew or Athena were there, as none cared for him particularly. 

Percy was brought out of his musings by a soft hand tracing the scars on his chest, while another traced along his jawline. 

Percy had regained his muscular stature after all the workouts that he had done after six months of inactivity. His broad, scarred chest was covered with bandages, which would be removed in the next few days. His sculpted, tightly packed abs were slick with sweat, slightly rising and falling with his torso as he breathed heavily. Prominent obliques led to a visible 'v' shaped waist that disappeared under the waistline of his Bermuda shorts. He was the perfect example of a god, gorgeously cut without an ounce of fat, with a muscle packed body. 

His sharp jawline, with a slight, sexy stubble, only accentuated his dark appeal. His tanned bronze skin gleamed with sweat, his silky black hair which he had allowed to grow long, stuck to his face with sweat. The son of Poseidon's sea-green eyes shined as bright as emeralds, with life and hope, beneath perfectly sculpted eyebrows. His high cheekbones only perpetuated his aristocratic look. 

Percy felt a deep blush crawl up his neck to colour his cheeks as his two nurses explored his sweaty, and mostly bare body with abandon. Although he had flirted with numerous girls before, this was the first time any girl other than Annabeth touched his body intimately. 

And it just had to be a very sexy Calypso, his once crush, wearing a very revealing dress, and an equally sweaty Piper, his beautiful best friend, wearing an almost transparent shirt. 

He felt like the world had gone crazy, and that he had indeed died. 

Percy's blush intensified as Piper's kaleidoscopic eyes stared into his own, searching his very soul, not minding or not noticing his discomfort. Her beautiful eyes were extremely distracting, and her face was very close to his, so close, in fact, that he could feel her breath on his face. She smelled of roses and an unknown cologne that Percy could never hope to identify. Her soft, pink lips were parted in obvious lust, as her soft, nimble fingers traced his sharp jaw, his stubble slightly rough against her smooth, soft skin. 

The condition with Calypso was even worse. 

Her caramel hair and almost bare back was the only thing that Percy saw. A thin, almost transparent layer of white lace was the only thing separating them. She was on her hands and knees, facing him, and all the vile things he could do to her in that position raced through Percy's head. The curve of her perfect ass was clearly visible to him, and her firm tits did not succumb to gravity even in that position, jiggling and bouncing enticingly in their soft fabric restraints with every breath she took. 

It was even worse when the Titaness massaged his abs, pressing and rubbing his diamond-hard muscles with her soft hands. 

Percy felt the blush on his face intensify and creep down his neck as Piper leaned in closer, her pink lips a hair's breadth away from his, while Calypso's hands started wandering downwards. 

He cleared his throat uncomfortably.

The effect was magical.

With matching, embarrassed 'eep's, the two females jumped away from his body, blushing down to their necks. Percy could have sworn there was steam coming out of their ears. 

At that moment, Cathy, a daughter of Nike, entered the room. She had been accepted to the Hunters of Artemis just before the second Gigantomachy, and just like the others, she was on par with goddesses in terms of beauty. 

Her spiky, dirty blonde hair reached till her shoulder, and she had a small lock of hair that she kept braided with golden strings, thrown over her shoulder. She was wearing a Nike sponsored Cristiano Ronaldo shirt, knowing that the Portuguese was Percy's favourite, which immediately made him her favourite. Skintight black jeans that showed off all her voluptuous curves clad her legs, ending in slippers- black and red Nike slippers, what else did you expect? 

Her warm brown eyes swam with distrust, darting from Piper to Calypso, to Piper again, eyeing them with burning jealousy. It was obvious to anyone that entered the room that something had occurred between the three. Their furious blushes had yet to tone down on the intensity. 

Percy could not help eyeing her form up and down appreciatively. Artemis sure knew how to keep her Hunters in perfect shape.

Almost feeling Percy's intense gaze on her, Cathy turned to her crush's sweaty, half-naked form with a heavy blush already rising up on her face. 

It was no secret to the Hunters that every other Hunter, including Artemis and his own sisters, had a crush on Percy. That is why sometimes arguments broke out among them regarding who would spend time with Percy next, knowing that whenever they visited them in the infirmary, he would be half-naked. 

Secretly, all Hunters were jealous of Piper, Calypso, and their own healer, Atalanta, as they got to spend all twenty-four hours of the day caring for a half-naked mutual crush, conducting intimate examinations... rubbing his body with their bare hands.... 

A possessive gleam lit up Cathy's brown orbs, her mind quickly hatching a cunning plan so that she could herself touch his body up close. 

Her eyes tried to burn Percy's image permanently into her mind, as she kneeled behind him. Despite her heated cheeks, she managed to stutter out, "Percy, the others are waiting in the dining hall for you. Lean on me, I'll take you there." 

Percy blushed. "I can walk on my own, thank you, Cathy." 

Cathy shook her head, "No. You're clearly tired. Come on." 

She reached out her hand, pulling up Percy from the floor. It was even better when he had to grasp her for support, being thrown off balance by her sudden jerk. 

Cathy buried her face into his chest, smelling his musky, sweaty scent that made her feel light-headed. She felt a smile tugging at her lips when she felt two furious glares burning holes into her head, the jealousy rolling off the other two girls in waves.

"Come on, Percy." She spoke softly, hiding her true intentions, and ignoring the son of Poseidon's feeble protests. 

Percy and Annabeth had been staying with the Hunters of Artemis for five years after the infamous Orion incident after the second Gigantomachy, when more than 40 Hunters died, leaving the once fierce group helpless against large monster hordes. 

And that time had been enough for the earth-shattering change to occur. Never before had a male stayed at the Hunt for such a long time. And none of them had ever seen a male half as kind or selfless or respectful and loyal as Perseus. It did not hurt that he looked so.... delicious. 

Cathy led Percy down the corridor, that connected the infirmary and kitchens to the dining room, the two medics following silently behind her. It was night, and slightly windy on the tropical island. The moon cast long shadows, and complex silver patterns on the carpeted floor, filtering in through the large French windows. At one end, there was a large, elaborate glass door that led to the garden. Long, dark shadows danced in the night, cast by the trees as they swayed in the gentle breeze. 

Cathy pressed as close to Percy as she could, pressing her face to his cool skin, his still slightly sweaty chest pressing against her cheek, her hand rested on the small of his back. Percy's strong arm was thrown possessively- or so she thought- over her shoulder, his tall frame dominating her short frame. She could feel his warm heartbeat reverberating in his chest, his strong muscles that flexed with the slightest movement. 

She was met with seventeen withering, jealous glares as she entered the dining room, not counting Calypso and Piper, who were boring holes into the back of her head the entire way, imagining her to drop dead any moment. 

The only person in the room whose wrath was not directed towards her was Athena, who was glaring furiously at Percy. 

Immediately, Rose and Violet were at their big brother's sides, helping him to his seat, despite Percy's feeble protests that he was fine. 

The twin daughters of Poseidon returned to their seat a few minutes later with furious blushes on their identical faces, feeling everyone but Athena, including Neo, glaring at them. 

Percy was busy gazing at the various things in the room to care. 

It was not really a dining hall, despite what anybody said. It was more like a large dining room. There was a futuristic-looking island, perpendicular to where Percy was sitting. Thalia, Neo and Sydney, a daughter of Thanatos, were perched on the island. Percy was sitting with his back against a massive, sliding glass door that looked out to the swimming pool. Behind the island, stocked to the brim with all varieties of high-quality alcohol, was an expansive bar. On the opposite wall, face to face with Percy, was a massive fifty-inch television that spanned most of the wall, complete with a high tech speaker system. 

The table itself, laden with piping hot food, was a low lying one, so that everyone had to seat on the ground to eat, tucking their legs beneath the low surface of the table. 

Optimum utilization of space. 

Artemis sat on Percy's right, while Annabeth sat on his left. The other Hunters sat beside Artemis, while Piper, Calypso, Reyna and Rachel sat beside Annabeth, in that order. 

On the opposite side, Drew sat beside Hestia, who was trying to placate a furious Athena, who had yet to tone down her glare. 

Percy wondered where Aphrodite was, and voiced his thoughts. 

Hestia's expression softened, and there were a few whispers and elbows thrown among the Hunters, most directed at Atalanta and Phoebe. "Aphrodite has already had dinner and gone to sleep, you know how she is about her beauty sleep." 

Everybody but Annabeth chuckled at that. The blonde daughter of Athena glared at Hestia, making Piper elbow her. Emitting an embarrassed squeak, she lowered her gaze to her empty plate, a blush rising up on her face. 

Percy eyed her worriedly. "Annabeth, are you okay?" 

"Yes, Seaweed Brain, I am fine." Her answer was short, but Percy could not shake off the feeling that something was amiss. 

Hestia had just taken the lid off the steaming bowl of soup that was the beginner, when Athena threw down her spoon with a disgusted sound. 

"What happened, mother?" Angela, a newly recruited Hunter, asked. 

Athena turned her glare at her daughter, her expression softening for a moment, before her wrath returned full force as she turned towards a bewildered Percy. "I will.... will not participate in your foolish activities as you pamper this.... this man child! I never understood what Annabeth saw in you, sea spawn!" 

Faced with her unbridled rage, Percy could see why she was a war goddess. Her shiny blonde hair, almost like Annabeth's, formed an intimidating halo around her face, flowing in soft curls. Her face, as sharp and as beautiful as befitting a warrior goddess like her. Despite her self imposed retreat into the library, her sun-kissed skin had not paled a bit, and she was as beautiful and healthy as she had been when Percy saw her for the first time. Stormy grey eyes swirled with wrath, directed at him, and Percy was sure that she was one of the most intimidating sights that he had seen, and that was saying something. Even in her casual white t-shirt, and sweats, she pulled off a feat that Kronos could not. 

Nevertheless, he felt his blood boiling. 

He slammed his fist hard onto the table, ignoring as all the girls around him flinched. "I did not ask you to be here, Lady Athena! I do not even know what is going on! But whatever happens, don't let your unground hatred for my father blind you to who I am! I am not Poseidon, open your eyes and open your ears, and listen to what I am saying." His face was red, a vein popping on his forehead. He felt the sturdy table finally crack under the force of his blow. "And don't drag Annabeth into this?" 

He finally stood up, dwarfing Athena with his height and well-built body. His ears were ringing, and his vision had gone blurry again. A throbbing pain erupted in the right side of his chest. He could faintly hear everybody telling him to calm down, that it was bad for his health. 

Hidden, suppressed rage at being kept in the dark erupted, his senses only comprehending Athena. Unknown to him, godly power was leaking out of him like oil from a platform in the North sea, pushing down everyone around him. 

Athena was not one to back down. She pushed back at his raw power with her own. Normally she would have marvelled at how much trouble an untrained god at a fraction of his true strength was giving her, but she was consumed with rage. 

The wisdom goddess sneered at him. "Calling me Lady! Do you know what even happened? Ask your precious 'Annabeth'!"

Percy was taken aback at hearing her address her favourite daughter in such a way, and turned to Annabeth, who was sitting at his side, his eyes pleading. 

Shocked he was, when Annabeth's eyes, identical to Athena, turned to a bright azure blue, and her facial features changed. 

Every girl around him except for Athena was horrified, and Percy got the feeling that all of them were in on the plan. 

"Aphrodite?!" He roared. "Where is Annabeth?!" He backed away from everyone, only to press against the glass door. 

"What.. what's happening?" He could hear the fear in his voice. Everything was rushing back now... cannons firing... screams of the dead... the blood soaking him... the fire... the shadows lengthening, reaching out for him...

He shook his head to clear his thoughts, holding out his hand to stop anyone from approaching. There was no one in the room that he could trust unconditionally. 

"Where are we?" He began the interrogation.

"Ogygia. We already told you." Calypso whispered. 

"And why are all of you here?" 

"Percy...." Artemis held his hand, but the son of Poseidon flinched away from her soft skin, as if burned by the contact. The moon goddess' heart broke at seeing the man she loved with all her heart shy away from her. 

"Percy... you are a god on the Olympian council... you were given immortality to prevent you from dying... there were complications though..." Piper started.

"And now, we have all been gifted to you by the gods," Reyna spoke softly, trying not to spook the demigod-god- more than he already was. 

"We are your harem, for you to do with us as you please, Jackson." Thalia tried to summarise it up for him, knowing that he could not comprehend anything in his current state. 

There were lots of questions on his mind. What did the 'harem' entail? What were the gods thinking? What was he god of? A chronological sequence of events would have been very helpful. 

Percy's back hit the glass rather harshly, making it rattle in its frame. He spoke out the question, the worry, first and foremost on his mind. "Annabeth... where is Annabeth?" 

"Annabeth?!" Athena's laugh was cold, unforgiving, almost insane. "She's dead!"

And with those words, all hell broke loose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More will be explained later in the book. I am intentionally keeping it vague right now. How was the chapter? As you have probably noticed, I have roughly modelled the house on Ogygia after the house on Ogygia in The Sea's Serpent. 
> 
> Keep calm and CR7!! Keep calm and LM10!! (Messi)


	6. Stopping his Suicide

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you feel upon reading the title?

**_Time: One week later_ **

Artemis rapped sharply on the wooden frame of the door, fearing what she was going to see. 

The noise reverberated through the mostly empty door. 

Hestia wrung her hands in worry, her lush brown hair dishevelled as she stared at the closed wooden door. Beside her, Thalia tapped her foot impatiently, looking outside the window with a blank expression on her face. 

The three were the only ones sent to collect Percy, as Calypso feared that too large crowds might have frightened him. A deduction which Piper and Atalanta agreed to, though reluctantly. 

Artemis was wearing a casual silver t-shirt. Her silver eyes danced with unshed tears, her auburn hair frizzy, and thrown into a hasty ponytail. Her stomach growled with hunger, and there were dark circles around her eyes, caused by sleepless nights as she stayed awake, worrying for Percy. Her shorts ended mid-thigh, showing her creamy pale skin and toned legs. If she had been slim and lithe before, she was even thinner now. The only metals she had had was when the Hunters forced her to eat something. 

Her heart broke remembering how Percy had flinched away from her during their last interaction. 

He had not emerged from his room yet, and most girls on Ogygia found themselves staring blankly at the wooden door for long periods of time. 

The only time he had come out since his shocking revelation was at the dead of midnight, when no one had seen not heard him go out. The only proof he had come out during the night was the fact that the bar in the dining room was almost entirely empty the next day.

Most of them had suffered. 

Athena had not backed down from her position yet, and had become more and more irritable as the days went by, snapping at anyone who visited her self-imposed imprisonment in the library. Now, they had adopted a policy of leaving her alone, and she was not bothered in the slightest by the fact that everyone else was ignoring her. 

Hestia was not faring any better than Artemis. The normally cheerful hearth goddess' lips were perpetually in a frown, despite her best efforts to erect a false smile for them. Her beautiful had taken a hit, her sun-kissed skin paling a tad bit, something which should not have occurred at all. Her eighteen-year-old curvy body, which could have given Aphrodite a run for her money, had thinned slightly. Her warm brown eyes had dulled, it was clear to anybody that she was not taking care of herself. 

With Hestia's hope almost dead, the rest of the island was thrown into despair. 

The meals did not have the flavour they usually had. The numerous rooms, usually bustling with activity, were very silent. Whenever any two girls met in the corridors, they tried their best to ignore the other, and go on their merry way. The tension in the air was so palpable, it could be cut with Artemis' now dull hunting knife. 

The gym and dojo were silent, despite Reyna and a few of the Hunters engaging in strenuous physical activity am day to drain their worries. They were no laughs, no taunts shout out loud. 

Percy's weapons, Anaklusmos and the Imperial Gold battleaxe which he had yet to name, had become the only visible sign that he even existed, apart from the perennially closed door to the master bedroom. 

Most of the girls had retreated to their own rooms, hardly talking to one another. Even Percy's normally cheerful twin sisters were listless as they moped about uselessly. Rachel had adopted a strategy similar to Athena, locking herself in her studio and working relentlessly on her artwork. 

One week should have been enough for him to cool off and wallow in self-pity. Now, everyone (except Athena) was getting worried about him, and last night at dinner, they had decided to visit him the next day. 

"I say we break down his door!" Thalia shouted angrily, gritting her teeth as a vein popped on her forehead when Percy did not answer even after ten minutes of waiting. "Fuck you, Jackson! Open this door and let me in! I'm warning you, one week has been enough, you will get only five seconds more!" 

Thalia had been the one to arguably take the worst hit, and Neo and the twins were the only things she was living for these days. She had already seen enough loss, now if Percy died...

Her silky black hair had not lost any of its lustre, though her shocking blue eyes were always tinged with red. Her eyes were puffy, and nose slightly red, her cheeks always with a feverish red hue as she brought herself down with worry. It was clear she had tried her best not to care, but the dark circles around her eyes and dried tear tracks on her face spoke otherwise. For once, she was dressed in regular clothes, with a black off-shoulder t-shirt, and white shorts that showed off her long, smooth legs. The black choker around her neck, however, was still there. 

It had been a gift from the demigod, now god, whom she was gifted to. 

For whom she dragged herself through the long hours everyday. 

The person she cared most for. 

The person separated from her by a single wooden door. 

"Five!" Her voice trembled, and she mentally cursed herself for showing weakness. 

"Four!" Hestia rubbed the tears away from her eyes, taking a deep, albeit shaky breath to settle her nerves. 

"Three!" Artemis looked out of the large French window sadly. It was all her fault. She was destined to never feel love, to never love, if she had not fallen so hard for this stupid demigod, none of this would have happened. 

"Two!" Her goofy demigod, whose stupidity and childish nature, she found strangely endearing. No, it was their goofy god now. 

"One!" The day was cloudy and stormy, one of those damp, dark days when everyone felt like dropping everything and staying inside. Dark, angry clouds that rolled with the occasional thunder, blocked out the sun, setting the lonely tropical island into shadows that danced along the edges of the choppy sea. The briny breeze was in everyone's nostrils, stronger than ever, buffeting the palm trees and making their clothes rustle. The world outside was devoid of any life, all the birds having returned to their nests already. The harsh, hazy sound of the mighty waves of the sea crashing into the beach was the only sound that interrupted the silence, that stretched through the day. 

"I'm breaking the door down, Jackson!" Thalia shouted, before turning to the other two. "Give me a hand here." 

Artemis nodded, and the two sisters put their shoulders to the wooden door, bumping slightly to test its strength. 

Luckily, it was not so strong. It was stronger than most mortal bedroom doors, but not the impenetrable fortresses that were most of the master bedrooms in the gods' palaces. 

They stepped back, preparing for a short run-up, their complete concentration in the door before them. Hestia hovered in the background, her eyes swimming with worry. 

With a mighty roar, the daughters of Zeus slammed into the door, their shoulders screaming in protest, pushing a bit of their godly strength into the charge. Artemis glowed a bright silver for a brief second, and Thalia let off bright sparks, before the door was blasted off its hinges. 

The three women entered the room, searching around wildly for the god. The battered door lay forgotten on the ground, a large part of the floor covered with small wooden splinters. 

The small pieces crunched under their slippers as they searched for any sign of the missing god. 

The room lay in absolute chaos. It was clear Percy had been there, but not in a right state of mind. The bed, one of the softest beds in existence, lay shredded, it's soft cotton spilling onto the floor. It had been ripped with teeth, and there had been only one inhabitant. Scratch marks and splashes of ichor marred the beauty of the otherwise intricately patterned wall, the dry gold blood matching perfectly with the dark crimson of the wall. It made Thalia feel sick to the pit of her stomach. 

Several shattered pictures and flower vases lay on the ground, scattering glass and ceramic all over the cool marble. More broken glass, tinted green and black and blue, pooled around alcohol stains on the marble, telling the three where all the alcohol bottles went. Several spots of ichor and bloody footprints told them how mutilated Percy's bare feet would be. The worst of all was a rope tied to a hole in the ceiling. The hole had been clearly made by a bare fist, if the ragged edges and ichor that marked the smooth white paint was anything to go by. The rope was also bloody, caked with the dry fluid that seemed to be everywhere in the room. Its end was frayed and tattered, telling the shocked observers that Percy's suicide attempt had failed. The air inside the room was stale, carrying with it the unmistakable copper scent of ichor. 

Artemis heaved. She had seen worse during war, but to know that someone had done this to themselves.... it hurt much more when she knew that the person was the one that occupied most of her heart. 

All the gold was sickening, much more obnoxious than her brother's temple. 

Artemis stumbled her way to the window beside a broken desk, holding her breath to block out the overwhelming stench of ichor, ignoring the shattered picture on the wooden table. She drew back the blinds, throwing the glass window open, and allowing the fresh, invigorating sea breeze to flood into the room. 

Thalia followed a pair of golden footprints to another door, which most probably led to an attached bathroom, gently opening the door to check if Percy was inside. 

She stopped dead in her tracks at the horrifying vision that greeted her eyes. 

The marble walls of the bathroom were mostly clean, except occasional splashes of golden ichor here and there. Fortunately, it was much less than in his bedroom. But that was not remotely the worse part. 

The large bathtub was filled to the brim with a pale yellow mixture of water and Percy's immortal blood. The god was nowhere to be seen. There were no windows in the bathroom, so he could not have escaped that way. An empty bottle of gin sat on the shattered counter, which Thalia guessed had been broken with several punches. The mirror had been shattered, some pieces of glass missing, the others riddled with cracks that formed a web like a spider's. There were several golden handprints on the wall behind the mirror and the glass itself. Thalia walked out of the room, swallowing the bile rising up her throat when she saw a piece of bone stuck in the basin, in a small puddle of ichor.

Meanwhile, Hestia had thrown up, her weak mind not being able to comprehend the sight behind her. She stood in the corridor, not having the courage to look or enter back into the room. She was on her hands and knees, heaving her breakfast onto the cool marble floor of the corridor leading to his room. 

She faintly felt someone kneel beside her. "Hestia, are you okay?" Angela's voice wafted to her, despite her ringing ears. Hestia could mutely nod, yes she was fine physically, it was Percy that needed all the help he could get. She ignored her filthy chin and looked up at her, her eyes wide and frightened. 

"The others have called for help. They will be coming soon." The daughter of Athena soothed her, rubbing her back gently. "Come with me." She helped her to her feet, and the two stumbled and trudged back to a nearby room for a long shower, with the goddess leaning heavily into the slightly battle-hardened Huntress, seeking her comfort. 

Hestia noticed Reyna, Phoebe, Rachel, Atalanta, Piper and Calypso sprinting towards the bedroom, the latter two carrying a stretcher, while Atalanta clutched bags of first aid and medical equipment. 

Artemis searched the room frantically, aided by her sister. Her heart was racing. Every second that passed was a second lost. 

She flung the sheets off the bed, pressing down on the mattress with her fingers to see if he had hidden there. She had seen what PTSD did to a man. It was horrifying. 

Thalia crouched down, sweeping the darkness beneath the bed with her sharp eyesight once, but except for a few more broken bottles, she found nothing. She could see the wall on the other side of the room. 

She stood back up, opening the large walk-in closet, which was thankfully empty. Nobody was there, though she walked into the closet to make sure that Percy wasn't hiding in some dark corner. 

Suddenly a chilling thought occurred to her. 

She ran her hands along the wooden walls of the closet, making sure that there were no hidden levers or switches. The daughter of Zeus knocked all along the walls for hollows, but came up with nothing.

She walked out of the closet, feeling her hope dying slowly. "Artemis!" She called, "Check for any hollows in the walls!" 

Apparently, it was not needed, for Artemis we much more thorough in her search than she was, the millennia of being the feared man-hating moon goddess kicking in. 

In the small time that Thalia had been checking the bathroom and closet, Artemis had turned the room inside out. All the drawers and closets and cupboards were turned out, their contents, mostly empty, deposited on the shredded bed. They were mostly more empty bottles of alcohol, with only two almost empty bottles of antidepressants and sleeping pills. 

"Oh, God." The exclamation brought the two sisters out of their thorough searching. 

At the doorway, stood a few girls, with medical equipment. Rachel's hand clapped over her mouth as tears streamed down her face, her lush red hair messy and dishevelled.

She moved aside, probably to empty her stomach in the corridor, allowing the others to enter the room. No one bothered to notice that she had said 'God', instead of something... Greek. 

Reyna entered the room, sweeping it with a cold examining eye, her face expressionless, giving nothing away. 

Phoebe and Piper laid down the stretcher on the floor, silently taking in the sights around them. Their expressions were stone, giving nothing away about the storm raging in their hearts. 

Atalanta had dropped her bags gently beside the stretcher, inside examining the dry splashes of ichor with an emotionless face, to determine the time of injury. 

Calypso gasped, tears running down her face. The sight was.... horrifying. Despite being a healer for the Titans during the first Titanomachy, she had seen nothing like this. She stood outside the room, beside Rachel, who was on her hands and knees. The Titaness swallowed the lump in her throat, and spoke in a shaky voice. "I'm barefoot. I'll get the infirmary ready," referring to her inability to enter the room due to her lack of footwear and the glass and wood that littered the floor of Percy's bedroom. 

She was gone before anyone could say anything. 

Atalanta stood up. "The ichor is a few days old." She spoke, not giving any firm conclusions. 

But her unspoken reference remained clear for everyone. Percy could have been dead, turned to dust and gone to Tartarus, if they could not find him there. 

"These are done with teeth," Reyna observed, running her finger along the jagged tears in the bedsheets. 

It was an odd sight, to say the least. An odd bunch of girls, all around the same age of eighteen to twenty-three, wearing casual clothes like t-shirts, shorts and slippers, in a bloody bedroom that looked more like a torture chamber, investigating a possible death. The things PTSD could do were horrifying. 

When they had heard the crash, it was all they could do to keep the youngest on the island- Neo, Rose and Violet, away from the bedroom. Finally, the rest of the Hunters, Cynthia, Cathy and Sydney had stayed back to take care of the inconsolable teenagers. 

Ruby had sprinted to head off her mother from coming to the room. None of them thought that the love goddess could stomach what awaited her in the room. 

If they had known what happened there, even Hestia would have been forbidden from going there. 

Piper pointed a shaky finger at some teeth that Artemis had unearthed earlier, in a glass petri dish covered with ichor. "The teeth are still intact. Percy is still alive somewhere." He had ripped out his own teeth, she added mentally. 

There was a sound, almost unnoticeable, like the thud of something against wood. 

Atalanta was immediately on high alert. "Thalia, did you check the bathroom closet?" 

Thalia gulped. "There is no way Percy could..." 

Before she could finish her sentence, Phoebe and Reyna were flying to the bathroom, Artemis and Piper close on their heels. 

Thalia stood still for a moment, not believing that it was her stupid mistake that would be the cause of Percy's death. 

Cramped in the closet, was Percy's six foot five frame, somehow forcibly fit in there. If they had not known better, anyone would have said that he was murdered and stuffed there. His normally tanned bronze skin was pale as paper, his eyes sunken with dark bags around his sea-green orbs, which fluttered at them, before dropping close. His hands were limp on the floor, a sharp broken piece of glass held in his hands. Long scabs of golden blood covered his forearms, from organized cuts that made his arms nigh unrecognizable. One eye was swollen shut, his lips split and bloody. A dry, thin trail of saliva mixed with ichor trailed down his sharp jaw, emerging from his slightly parted golden lips. 

The gold on the glass told them what had caused the long slit on Percy's throat, almost unrecognizable against the dark bruise caused by his previous unsuccessful suicide attempt. His orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, ripped in many places, had turned gold with ichor. 

Piper fainted at the sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....Is it okay? I'll try to write another chapter today, and publish these two together. So you are not left hanging so far as the suicide is concerned. 
> 
> Hmm... I guess this AN is pointless, since I'll be publishing the two chapters together anyway. 
> 
> Keep calm and CR7!! Keep calm and LM10!! (Messi)


	7. Race against Relapse

**_Time: Same Time_ **

Percy was frightened. 

He had always been frightened, so far as he could remember.... as a child, as a teen, and as an adult. 

Now that frightened boy- for he was nothing but a boy- had been given godhood, responsibility, and power.

He did not know what to think. 

If Annabeth had been here, she would have made all his worries go away. She would have taught him that he was right, he was always right. She would have hugged him, kissed him, and treated him like an adult. 

She never acted like he was a frightened boy, something which he was grateful to her for. He erected a confident facade, something which only she could see through, something which only she ever understood. 

Her blonde hair flying in the wind, she smiled gently at her, her beautiful stormy grey eyes dancing with joy as she taunted him, telling him to get up and move on. Her necklace of Camp beads, matching his own, hung around her graceful neck, her arms behind her back as she teased him beautifully, swinging her well-developed chest at him. "See something you like?" Her soft, pink lips parted as she smirked. 

Only she was ever allowed to see his scars. To touch his scars. 

His angel. His beauty. His life. 

Now she was gone. 

Percy could not comprehend the information he was given. His mind shut down. She was gone, while he was immortal, never going to unite with her. He had been given a harem 'to help him heal', something which he did not want. He would have become an eternal bachelor like Artemis, sworn never to feel love again. 

If she would not occupy his heart, none would. 

Percy whimpered, hiding within the closet he had locked himself into. 

It was dark, and stank of the dead. There were bloodstains all over the inside of the wood, and through the slight crack that he could not close completely, he could see a faint stream of light filtering in through, illuminating his torn and tortured body. 

He refused to be weak. He would die fighting. 

He was surrounded by monsters. Monsters who tortured him, bullied him, mocked and ridiculed his intelligence, kept him in the dark. Monsters who hunted him in the shadows. 

He clutched a sharp, broken piece of glass in his hand. Where did the glass come from? He did not know. 

He never knew what he had been doing the last few days, and every time he fell asleep, he woke up a few hours later from a nightmare, groggy and sore, with a pounding headache. Even sleeping pills did not help. Being a son of Poseidon, his immortal ichor just flushed out whatever toxins were in his system, making painless death by poisoning impossible. 

He had tried death by hanging. Slightly more painful, but acceptable. His neck now constantly stung, a dark bruise on his neck. 

His stomach growled. He had had solid food a week ago. And he had had water a week ago. The alcohol had run dry the previous day. 

The various cuts on his body stung, the swelling in his eye painfully throbbing. His throat was parched, his tongue like sandpaper, heavy and swollen in his mouth. He touched his bleeding gums where he had lost his teeth somehow, the ichor his only way to wet his tongue. 

His ears rang, his eyes were droopy, maybe he could get some shut-eye. 

His boots sung into the earth, the fertile soil moist and muddy, soft and runny with the blood of the fallen.

A war was raging around him, again. The sky was burning, the dark clouds angry and foreboding. The strong breeze that buffeted him, ruffling his shirt and making his messy hair even messier, brought with it a stench of the dead. He could still smell the slight undertone of the fresh invigorating earth that had been there, before the war. Percy remembered the Field of Mars. Now it was a blood-soaked battlefield, the field which had been once covered with soft, green grass; soothing to the bare feet, now strewn with dead and dying soldiers of both sides. 

He could feel himself suffocating, there was not enough air. The shadows were closing around him, the walls claustrophobic.

The blast of a cannonball rang through the small space, jolting him out of his thoughts. Percy gasped, his head hitting the top of the cabinet. 

He had been dreaming. 

There was no cannon. It was someone banging on his door. The monsters were back. 

Whispers telling him to die. No, a harsh voice shouting at him to open up. 

Percy choked back a sob, he could not believe he would die like this... what would Annabeth or his mom say?

There was a loud bang, and Percy stared at the glass that he held in his hand. 

He was met with a sorry sight. His eye was swollen shut, bruised black and blue. There were several cuts on his face, some still bleeding, others scabbed over. His once vibrant sea-green eyes, were now dull, glazed over, like he was already dead. His long, dark hair was matted with dried blood and dirt. His neck's dark bruise was still visible, not having receded a bit. 

He eyed his neck, and then the glass in his hand. He ran a thumb along the jagged edge, coming away with golden blood on his digit. 

He did not know why his blood was golden. Maybe he did, once. 

Now, he struggled to remember anything. 

The monsters were in the room. 

He was alone, the bunker was breached, all his comrades were dead. He was the last. 

It was do or die, now. 

Well, whatever he did, he would die. The question now, was, whether he would die after hours of torture, or would die on his own terms. 

One of the monsters was just outside the cramped space he was in. The only light in the space was blocked out by darkness. Percy tried to keep still, holding his breath, not giving anything away. He tried to be as quiet as possible, his heart racing as the monster stood in front of him. He could hear it moving about, could feel it looking about. 

He prayed that it would not notice him, and had almost given up hope. He could feel its eyes on him, seeing through the wood that was his last defence. He was sure it was all gone, all in vain. Then, the monster moved away. 

He let out a small breath. 

He looked at the mirror in his hand. It was his only hope of a painless death. Well, it would be painful, but better than whatever torture he would be forced to endure. 

Percy brought the glass to his throat, pressing it to his skin. He felt a sting, the jagged glass had penetrated his skin. He felt his warm, golden blood moistening his fingers, warmth that flowed down his neck to wet his shirt. He closed his eyes shut. 

Annabeth. Zoë. Luke. Bianca. Charles. Silena. 

All the Hunters that had died in the three wars. All the demigods. 

All his fault. 

His sea-green eyes snapped open. Drawing all his courage, he drew the glass along his throat. 

He felt the sting of the sharp glass. The jagged edges catching and tearing his skin. 

He felt his throat burning, blood blocking his windpipe. He could not breathe. 

He felt the coppery taste in his mouth. 

He felt cold. The shadows in his vision were stretching longer, his eyesight darkening. 

The closet was already dark. 

He could not breathe, the blood was choking him, drowning him. It was almost like he was back in the quagmire, drowning in his own element. He resisted the urge to thrash. 

He could never breathe. 

He felt the life leaving his body, his limbs turning cold. The extreme edges of his fingers and feet were already numb. 

He had died with her. 

Annabeth, Percy was coming. Just wait a little longer. 

He felt his strength waning, failing him. This was how he was destined to die, in a dark, dusty closet, hunted by his enemies. 

He felt a throbbing pain in the right side of his chest, the pain shooting burning spikes through his consciousness. 

He could not hold up the mirror anymore. His hand fell limp to his side, creating a loud thud in the silence that stretched indefinitely in the closet. He winced at the loud sound, and wilted at the sound of footsteps reaching up to him, running to get to his closet. 

He examined the mirror with his one good eye. The golden blood, his golden blood, dropped down the jagged edge of the glass. The dark cut on his throat, which lavishly gushed his blood, was reflected on the tool he had used to end his life.

He saw the door thrown open, making the dark closet flood in light. 

Oh beautiful, sweet, life-giving light. 

He saw splashes of colour in his dark vision, and heard a thud through his ringing ears. The light formed a glowing halo around the face that he saw. He could not make out anything, no colour and no features- hell, he could not even tell the gender of the face- his brain not being able to comprehend anything else but the light, all his senses reduced to this rudimentary vision. 

These were not monsters. 

These were angels, come to take him to where Annabeth was.

**_Time: A few minutes later_ **

Only God, the one with the capital G, knew how the girls managed to get Percy to the infirmary on the ground floor, down four staircases, without him crumbling into dust. 

They paced the corridor outside the infirmary, frequently throwing worried glances at the closed door. All the fifteen girls, not counting Drew or Athena, neither of whom had bothered to turn up, or the three inside, lounged about uselessly. 

Hestia, Aphrodite and Artemis sat on three chairs that they had brought out of somewhere. Thalia sat at a corner, out of everyone's way, with her arms wrapped around her knees, drawn to her chest, sobbing in a ball. "It was all my fault... my fault..." She kept repeating in a choked voice. 

Neo sat beside her on the floor, leaning her head on her big sister's shoulder, silent. What could she say?

What was left to say? 

As soon as Percy had been taken in by Phoebe and Reyna, Rachel had rounded on the poor daughter of Zeus, accusing her of carelessness. If Percy died, it would be all her fault. 

Thalia, whose emotions were already stretched taught by that time, from the stress of the last few days, had snapped. She had said some hurtful things, about how Rachel was a mere mortal, she could not even enter his room, she was weak. 

And it had escalated into a full-blown argument. 

Now, Thalia was sobbing in her corner, and Rachel was standing by the small open balcony towards the end of the corridor, that opened into the garden. Tears streamed down her face, and she hiccuped slightly. 

Reyna stood by her, leaning against the railing, staring off into space. 

Rose and Violet stood by each other, not knowing what to do, who to speak to. For the first time since they arrived in the Greek world, they felt... alone, despite knowing everyone in the corridor quite intimately. A testament to how much they depended on their big brother, who had never left their side. 

Ruby stood close by, keeping a careful watch on Percy's little sisters for him, her composure not faltering even a little bit, none of her hurt surfacing as she buried it deep down for the family of the man she loved. 

Cynthia, Cathy and Sydney were standing together, silently discussing if Sydney could feel anything. The daughter of Thanatos shook her head at the other two, before whispering into their ears. 

Phoebe stared at everyone in the room, quietly observing their faces and reactions, as she paced up and down the corridor. 

Angela sighed as she leaned back onto the railing of the balcony, leaning her head back on the edge, closing her eyes in an attempt to rein her raging emotions. 

A drop of water on her cheek opened her eyes. 

It was raining. The dark clouds that shadowed the sky rolled with thunder, a light drizzle hailing a prelude to a strong storm to come. A droplet of water rolled off the leaf of a mignonette plant, splashing onto her nose. Angela closed her eyes back to prevent any raindrops from entering her eyes, just enjoying the cool of the light drizzle, letting her blonde hair dampen. The soothing sound of the raindrops calmed her, as they set up a relentless drumming against the leaves of the garden, the invigorating smell of moist earth invading their senses. 

A gasp drew her attention back to the corridor, whose occupants, drowning in worry, were completely oblivious to the beauty and serenity of the world outside. 

Her eyes widened.

Phoebe pinned Thalia to the wall, the collar of her shirt firmly held in the daughter of Ares' grasp. Thalia's face was messy, her nose puffy and wet lips parted as she gasped and sobbed. The lieutenant of the Hunt being shorter than her subordinate, her feet did not reach the floor, as she struggled weakly in her iron grip.

"Will. You. Shut. Up?!" Phoebe snarled, accentuating every word with slamming Thalia's weak body against the wall. "Shut the bloody fuck up! We don't want to listen to you sobbing and wallowing in self-pity when Percy is just in there!" 

She effortlessly swung her captive across the corridor, slamming her face harshly against the glass window of the infirmary door. "You see that, bitch? You did that. We don't need cry babies and mistake makers like you here." 

Thalia started a new fit of sobbing, which only seemed to piss Phoebe off more. 

Everyone in the room could tell that it was not Phoebe's fault, it was the Ares blood pumping in her veins that made her act that way. But Thalia did not know that in her present state. 

Artemis could see how Neo was scared, retreating into her corner as she saw how her strong big sister was being bullied, and Rose and Violet had taken a step back. Thalia's lips were split, and there was blood flowing down her forehead, crimson smeared against the glass window of the infirmary door. 

They did not need more injuries. 

Artemis stood up, "Phoebe, let Thalia go. I'm ordering you as your patron goddess." 

Phoebe snarled at her, flinging Thalia like a rag doll across the corridor. 

Everyone was wide-eyed at this point, and Rachel was sobbing even more at that point, thinking it was her fault that Thalia had to suffer that. The daughter of Zeus came to a rest on the marble floor a few feet away, and made no effort to move, her body wracked with sobs. Nobody moved to help her, fearing that doing those would incur the wrath of the red-haired daughter of Ares. 

Artemis was wary of the mad glint in Phoebe's eyes as she laughed humorlessly. "Patron goddess?!" She cackled, "Moon goddess, my god lies on a bed behind that door, as does your god!" She jerked her thumb towards the blood-splattered door. 

Phoebe probably would have said more, but Atalanta appeared at that moment, opening the door, and coming face to face with her best friend's thumb. 

"How is he?" Phoebe asked, the impatience in her voice thinly disguised.

Atalanta ignored her, instead concentrating on Hestia. "Hestia, we need your healing powers." The urgency in her voice was evident. 

She let the worried goddess in, and went to close the door, but she was topped by a boot between the door and the wall. "I said how is he?" Phoebe gritted her teeth. 

Atalanta stared at her coldly, her face not giving anything anyway, before grinding her heel as hard as she could into Phoebe's booted foot, making the girl back out. "And I said, I don't give two shits about whether you know how he is, if you can't behave yourself." Before slamming the door in her face. 

She had dealt with Phoebe's rages a lot over the millennia as her roommate at the Hunt.

Hestia's heart stopped as she beheld the sight before her. 

Percy laid on a bed, absolutely naked, with only a towel covering his privates. But that was not the bad bit. 

The wound in the right side of his chest was open again, with several pieces of gauze to stifle the bleeding. Both of his golden feet were propped up on pillows, mutilated by glass and ceramics. Piper and Calypso were behind a small curtain that covered Percy's head, not allowing Hestia to see what the two were doing with his head, but she could only imagine it wouldn't be too good for her stomach. They were constantly talking about 'anomalous brain swellings'. There were several machines hooked up to his limp body, several beeping monitors and machines that she did not understand, and needles stuck to his skin. The only piece of equipment she understood was the drip bag, which pumped nectar into his body through a needle in his arm. 

Despite being a goddess of healing, Hestia was not a medical goddess. She was more of the kind to heal wounds slowly with home treatment and magic, something which was not always a hundred percent effective. 

"I want you to try and stifle the bleeding in the chest. If you can stitch it up, then all the better, use your healing powers to heal the internal bleeding, and stitch it up. I'll clean up his other foot and attend." 

Hestia nodded numbly, and moved to her job. She briefly wondered why Atalanta did not attend to the more serious injury first, before she understood. It was nothing a doctor like the Huntress could handle. The blackened flesh of his lung came from a cursed blade, something which was more along her own line. 

Knowing that Percy's life was in her hands, Hestia jumped into action at once. Her hands glowed orange as she pushed her maximum healing power into the job. 

It was a bit like homoeopathy. Every immortal had some extent of godly power in them, which always strived to keep them alive and healthy, despite their thoughts and wishes. It was the basis of nectar and ambrosia, which was basically godly energy in solid form. That is why demigods could have only limited godly food, while mortals could have none at all. The sick and injured were given this godly energy from outside, which healed them. 

Percy already had massive reserves of unused, raw godly power, so he should have been fine.

Technically. 

The conditions under which he received immortality, and the cursed blade made things more complicated. 

And the girls, did too. 

Only the four goddesses and single Titaness knew the fact, but a harem had its disadvantages, cons that far outweighed the pros. That is why all gods were not given harems, nor did they accept. But seeing as Percy was dying when the decision was made, he could not exactly protest, now could he? 

Percy was the only one to have a harem, since Primordial times. 

Maybe it was Zeus' way of keeping Percy under his thumb. 

Being a member of a true Greek harem was every goddess', and Titaness' dream.

Hestia did not know what Athena was making all the fuss about. 

True, the girls had to do whatever Percy said, but the Ancient Laws made it so that Percy could never hurt them consciously. Not only that, the girls drew on Percy's energy to stay alive and healthy. In other words, every time Percy hurt a harem member consciously -not that he ever would- he was hurting himself. Not physically, nor emotionally, which made making them do something they did not want to do, very taxing on his part. A simple command would not suffice. He would lose a lot of energy in the process.

The girls were a part of him.

In every sense of the word. 

For any girl, being part of a true Greek godly harem, meant finding an ideal lover who would risk their lives for them. 

Even when he was out, his immortality was draining energy to heal Thalia's wounds, and to calm all their minds. That is why Artemis, Aphrodite, and Hestia were trying to stay calm, being the only ones to know about the Laws, apart from Athena and Calypso.

The fact that Percy was even alive after supporting twenty angsty girls, was proof of his raw strength, godly energy to rival any Primordial. 

And Hestia would make sure to pay him back for all he did, consciously or unconsciously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twists? Drama? Two updates in one day? Yes, yes and a big YES. Also, I decided that instead of 50, Dealing with Drama will be 75 chapters, that is, roughly 225K word long. 
> 
> Keep calm and CR7!! Keep calm and LM10!! (Messi)


	8. Talking with Thalia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....JUSTICE FOR ORNITHOPODA!

**_Time: A day later_ **

Percy seemed to be in that position a lot. 

His chest was again covered in tight bandages to keep the wound on his chest from opening any further. He was dressed in loose shorts that hung limp around his waist. His upper body was bare, revealing how much his toned muscles had degraded. He looked like shit, though still muscular, he had thinned considerably over the week. His feet were wrapped in bandages, and there were more strapped around his head. 

"You're lucky Hestia could heal that much. It seemed that the chest wound was blocking your immortality." Calypso observed, "I haven't seen anything like that in my entire medical career." She admitted, playing with a lock of her caramel hair. 

Calypso looked heavenly, as always. Her curvy, busty body was clothed in a thin white dress with golden trimmings, lace covering her back and waist. She seemed to have an unlimited supply of those dresses, and Percy assumed that it was to occur, solitary confinement on a tropical island for millennia and all that. Today, her beautiful caramel hair was braided with a moonlace blossom, the soft green leaves intact, attached to the soft stem that she used to braid her hair. Its beautiful white petals glowed softly due to her close proximity to Artemis. 

Her face was the literal definition of bored. Her soft, pink lips were puckered in dissatisfaction, and she rolled her gorgeous amber eyes at every other thing that was said. Her left hand impatiently drummed on the wooden desk she was leaning against, her bare feet tapping impatiently. 

"Will you stop doing that?" Ruby snapped at her. 

The gorgeous daughter of Aphrodite was wearing her Hunter parka with a pair of khaki shorts. Her cherry blonde hair was let down, the silver of her parka going perfectly with the colour of her silky tresses. Her clear azure eyes, so like her mother, shined with worry for the man sitting up on the infirmary bed. Her cute button nose matched her cute, soft features and short stature. 

"Artemis is waiting for you, Jackson. So is everyone else." Ruby warned. 

Percy faintly noted with amusement how every Hunter, except Artemis, seemed to insist on calling him Jackson. 

"Not Athena or Drew." He turned slightly glum at Atalanta's quiet observation, reminding him of his harem problem. Piper elbowed the Huntress, making her wince as she caught her slip up. 

"Stop opening your mouth without thinking, Atalanta." The second daughter of Aphrodite in the room, reprimanded. 

Percy ruffled his hair, a habit he had picked up as a child. It usually had the effect of making his messy raven hair even messier, but at the moment, his black hair was cut in a sharp military cut. He missed the feeling of running his fingers through his long, soft and silky hair. His skin had regained a bit of his original, tanned copper colour, though. 

Percy winced at the bandages that covered his forearms, well aware of the scars that they hid. 

It was only thanks to the miracles the gentle hearth goddess worked on his body, that Percy could even sit up right then, only a day later after his attempted suicide. 

He was even allowed to walk, though the magical bindings would not be coming off anytime soon. 

Nor was he eager to rip it off anytime soon. Calypso got.... quite angry when he disobeyed her medical orders. As he found out the hard way, unfortunately. 

Percy stood up shakily. Immediately, Ruby was at his side, supporting him. Her slim hands snaked around his chest, her head barely reaching his chest, making the sight quite comical. The Huntress made an attempt to steady him as he tottered on his feet for a moment, her face contorted as she attempted to hold up his heavy form, having to fall back on her godly -demigodly- strength. 

"Help me here!" She cried out, referring to the three others in the room, who made no effort. 

Atalanta snorted. "Jackson can walk on his own very fine right now. Or he is a wimp." 

Piper reframed her sentence more elegantly. "What she means to say is, that Percy is healed enough to walk on his own, and he needs to do it on his own, or he might become dependent."

Calypso stayed silent through the exchange, opting instead to leaf through her medical notes on the god. 

Her god. 

PTSD, signs of abuse as a child, depression, and partial insanity. His mind was shattered and fractured, how he managed to hide everything behind his bright smile, she would never know. 

Or she did. 

They saw his mind, as it was behind the smile, yesterday. An experience the Titaness -none on Ogygia- did not want to repeat. 

Percy waved off her concerns, standing tall and proud after a second of disorientation. His bandaged, bare feet stung a little against the cool marble floor, but otherwise, he was okay. 

The god waved his hand towards the door. "Lead the way, Ruby. Time to see the rest of the building." 

The daughter of Aphrodite nodded, taking his hand, and eagerly, but carefully led him to his first destination. 

Percy stared in wonder as he walked down the long marble hallways on the second floor, which had numerous doors that led to large suites of rooms on one side, and large French windows on the other. The sunlight flooded into the corridor, lightning up all the corners, bright and thankful. Most of the floors were bare, save for the occasional welcome rug outside an occupied room, or a carpet every hundred yards. 

How long was the building? 

Percy guessed it had to do with some godly shit, because there was no way the building was so large on the outside. 

He could only stare at the beautiful portraits that lined all the walls on the second floor, which was also the living quarters for all the girls. He knew the style. 

"Rachel has been at it again, hasn't she?" He chuckled, wistfully staring at a portrait that showed him and Annabeth walking through the curtained mouth of the Oracle's Cave. 

She had depicted Annabeth so clearly.... her blonde hair seemed to shine, making anybody think that it had been made with gold paint, her stormy grey eyes dark, dangerous yet happy, her pink lips beckoning. How she had managed to capture her softness, her smooth, creamy skin, was beyond Percy's mind. In the picture, Percy was a few years younger, and in a much better condition than he was now, with his arm thrown possessively over the shorter daughter of Athena.

He peeked into an open door, outside which another portrait was kept to dry. The portrait depicted Sydney sitting on the kitchen counter, with a red bowl in her hands. Her silky black hair was flowing in the wind breezing in through the open glass door, her dark grey eyes, slightly darker than Annabeth, shining with mirth. Despite being a daughter of Thanatos, she was full of life, wearing a black Powerwolf t-shirt, and tight black yoga pants that hugged the curves of her long legs. Her pale skin glistened in the portrait. 

"Ogling Sydney's portrait, aren't you, horn dog?" Rachel interjected, leaning against her door frame and sending a flirtatious smile his way. 

Percy's cheeks tinged gold as he stared at the Oracle. 

Rachel was wearing absolutely nothing.

An extra short pair of shorts covered her waist, ending mid-thigh. Her upper body was completely bare, covered only with an apron, smeared with paint. Percy could see her hard nipples poking through the thin material, revealing her lack of a bra. The apron was stretched taught on her large tits, her slim arms, her pale creamy skin glowing in the light. Her lush red hair cascaded down her back, matching the cute red paint smeared on her cheek. Her hands were clasped behind her back, subtly thrusting her chest forward. 

Her green eyes shined with satisfaction as she watched his dark sea-green eyes rove over her body. Plan successful. 

"Now he's ogling me." She said dejectedly, suppressing her inner glee. 

Percy's face drowned in gold and he started spluttering. 

If he did not know any better, he would say she was doing that, teasing him on purpose. As it was, his good nature won out his internal debate as he berated himself for shamelessly ogling his innocent friend, who was merely caught off guard by their sudden arrival. 

Ruby glared at her, tightening her hold on his arm. "No, he isn't." 

She turned towards Percy, glaring harshly at him, her beautiful azure eyes taking a dangerous glint. 

"Are you, Percy?" She spoke in a sickly sweet tone. 

Percy's eyes widened at the two conniving girls, and he shook his head rapidly. He could swear his neck cracked at that moment. 

Ruby turned to Rachel, throwing her another dangerous glare. "Stay away from him, Dare." She hissed. 

"Oooh, I'm afraid I can't take that dare." Rachel considered twisting her own name to have a good comeback against the girl, to be worth it. She ignored that Percy could hear them bantering over him.

Ruby just glared at her, flipping her cherry blonde hair in the cute way that she had. Not answering, she dragged Percy away from the grinning vixen, her eyes never receding her glare. 

Her speed increased, literally dragging Percy by his arm, unmindful of his injuries, when Rachel sent a seductive wink his way. The red-haired Oracle then retreated to her room, an extra sway in her hips, revealing her completely bare back save for the strings holding her apron together. 

Ruby dragged Percy down several hundred feet, to the east wing of the girls' living quarters. He did not know why Phoebe and Atalanta, or Rose, Violet and Neo, insisted on sharing rooms when so many were lying vacant. 

He absentmindedly observed the weather through the endless large French windows, his legs moving on autopilot as he mindlessly followed Ruby as she dragged him through the long hallways. 

The day was bright and sunny, only a few wisps of white clouds visible in the clear, blue sky, so like the azure eyes of Aphrodite and Ruby. The clear sea was calm, only gentle waves reaching the golden, sandy beach. A gentle sea breeze was blowing, bringing with it the soothing scent of the briny sea, and swaying the long leaves of the tall palm trees that dotted the beach, providing necessary shade in the bright sun. A few albatrosses and other seabirds flew about in the sky, calling to each other in shrill voices, their cries filling the calm silence that stretched on in the beautiful scene that looked right out of a picture. 

Percy saw Hestia, Neo, the twins and Artemis waiting outside a door long before he reached them. 

He greeted the Little Big Three with hugs and gentle pats on the head. He hugged Hestia next, smiling softly when she asked worriedly, "Are you sure you should be walking around with all these injuries?" 

Percy waved off her concerns, as Artemis burrowed into his chest. "Don't try that ever again, Jackson." He faintly noted that she had started calling him Jackson too, taking after her Hunters. 

"Okay. No more suicide attempts. Got that." He childishly showed her two thumbs up. "...Okay, so why are we here?" 

"You heard the 'Ares' incident, right?" Artemis started, referring to the Phoebe and Thalia incident. 

"And now, big sister is-, Rose started.

"-not coming out of her room." Violet finished for her, in the weird, slightly disorienting way that twins had. 

"Percy...." Hestia spoke softly, her eyes shining with worry. "She has been in there for almost twenty-two hours." The unsaid part was clear to everyone but the three innocent little ones. 

He stared at them. "I'll go in alone. You all go have lunch, Thalia and I will join you for dinner." He said, letting a confident smirk grace his face. "Now, run along." 

After several parting hugs, worried glances, and whispered luck, Percy noticed that Neo was lingering behind. 

"What happened, Neo?" He asked gently, not wanting to spook the fifteen-year-old, whom he thought of, and cared for as an eight-year-old sister. 

"Will..." the daughter of Zeus bit her lip, "Will she be alright?"

Percy stooped low, pressing his forehead to the shorter girl's, his sea-green eyes burning with a ferocious protectiveness. "Neo, have I ever broken a promise?" 

Neo looked up at him, meeting his sea green with her bright electric blue. "No." Her cheeks tinged red at the proximity of their faces. 

"Then, I promise your big sister will be back by dinner." He smiled, pushing her gently towards her room, shared with the twins. 

Neo gave a slightly worried glance his way, before scurrying down the corridor. 

Percy took a deep, shaky breath, before standing up. He knocked on the door, standing back to wait. 

There was no response. 

Slightly ticked off at being ignored so callously, the son of Poseidon knocked again. "Thalia, open up, it's me." 

He waited again, and this time, there was a slight click, showing that the door had indeed been opened. 

Percy waited for her to welcome him inside, but when she didn't, he put his hand on the cool, brass doorknob, and with only a moment's hesitation, entered Thalia's room. 

The room he was in, just screamed that it was owned by Thalia. 

A jet black carpet covered the floor, soft and sinking a few inches under Percy's bandaged feet. There were two windows, but the curtains were drawn, letting in only small streams of sunlight that peeked through the thick blinds. The air was chilly, due to the central air conditioning that the building had, stinging Percy's skin slightly. A pleasant smell of perfume and Thalia's floral shampoo floated wafted the closed room. The walls were black and dark, with silver designs. 

There were several posters of Percy's favourite metal bands- Sabaton, Powerwolf, Amon Amarth, Alestorm, the like- that decorated one wall, which was coincidentally also Thalia's favourite bands. Spanning another wall, was a large walk-in closet, and a full-body mirror. 

Sprawled on the soft queen-sized bed, tangled in the black sheets like a beautiful, fallen angel, was the daughter of Zeus he sought. She was wearing a black off shoulders tank top, and crumpled white shorts which told him that she had not changed since the previous day. Her silky black hair was spread out on the bed, her face buried in the numerous, soft pillows, her seemingly delicate, frail body wracked with sobs.

Percy sat on the edge of the bed, and the soft mattress sank a few inches under his weight. He laid a hand gently on her bare shoulder, revealing how smooth and soft her skin was against his calloused hand. 

His heart broke when she shied away from the contact. "Thalia, can you tell me why you are crying?" 

She turned away, facing Percy's opposite side, so that he could not see her face. "If you had... had died, it would have been my fault." 

Percy clenched his fist, his eyes swimming with tears. "I'm sorry, Thalia. I didn't know what I was doing. I... I didn't mean to do any of that." He turned towards her, speaking harshly, though his throat threatened to close up, his emotions were running rampant. "And it wouldn't have been your fault. It would have been my fault, alright?!"

When she did not say anything, Percy took the initiative as he picked her up bridal style, carrying her to the bathroom. He was conscious of her head injury. 

He sat the quiet girl down on the counter, his sole concentration on her injury. Taking out the first aid kit from the cabinet, he laid out the sterilized equipment in the basin, gently dabbing her wound with a piece of nectar soaked gauze. He cleaned away the dry blood clotted in the area, feeling her broken skin under the gauze. He pulled away from the area, watching fascinated as the wound closed on its own. 

He did not know what, but his being was gripped with an uncontrollable urge. He raised her hair, leaning in to gently kiss the now healed skin. He was aware of the proximity of their bodies, Thalia's long legs had unconsciously wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer, until he was pressing slightly against her body. 

Thalia's cheeks had tinged red at the gentle gesture of affection, but she still refused to talk. 

Ignoring her silence, Percy carried back the blushing Thalia, bridal style to the bedroom, gently setting her down on the bed. The daughter of Zeus immediately resumed her previous position, burying her face in the pillows to hide her blush, taking deep breaths to calm herself, and acting as if nothing had happened. 

Percy resumed his earlier seat at the edge of the bed, too. "So, now can you tell me what's wrong?"

When Thalia still ignored him, Percy finally seemed to lose it. Harshly grabbing her shoulder, he forced her to face him, his dominating side surfacing as he straddled her slim body. 

Thalia still looked away, her eyes darting anywhere but him. Her silky black hair spread like a dark halo around her divine face, her pale skin paler than usual. Her electric blue eyes, so similar to Neo's, were bloodshot and puffy, dried tear tracks on her face. There were dark bags under her eyes, her cute nose red and puffy. Her soft, pink lips were wet as she sobbed quietly, gasping for breath. 

She looked up at Percy when water hit her cheek. 

It was one of the few times she saw Percy crying. Usually, only Annabeth ever saw him cry. Even when she died, he had not cried, he had gone insane angry, sure, but he did not cry in front of anybody. 

It made Thalia wonder what else Percy was hiding. What else emotion he was bottling up. 

She would have touched his cheek tenderly at that moment, if Percy was not pinning her hands to the bed to prevent her struggling. He looked almost... human, something with a heart. 

"You are not at fault here, Thalia!" He shouted, "Accept that! It was my stupidity- it was always my stupidity! Never say that again!" 

Thalia felt bitter resentment rising up against the man she loved. "And you would keep up your suicide attempts?" She spoke back harshly.

"N-no. I won't, I promise." He gasped for breath, to compose himself, but couldn't. His entire facade came crashing down when Thalia hugged him tenderly, her hands set free when he was ranting. 

Percy broke down for the first time in almost a year, sobbing uncontrollably, and screaming incoherently, lamenting everything, as he buried his face in Thalia's neck, seeking her warmth and comfort. 

Thalia just held him gently in her slender arms, accepting everything that he let loose to her. 

After several minutes, when Percy's uncontrollable sobs had descended to soft whimpers, Thalia held his face tenderly in her hands, wiping away his tears gently with her thumb, ignoring her own tears at his anguish. His face was so close to hers, she could smell his pleasant smell, his warm breath in her face. 

Thalia took a leap of faith. 

She kissed him, for comfort, she argued. 

Their lips moulded together, the tears forgotten, the kiss wet, yet pleasant. After recovering from his shock, Percy returned the kiss eagerly, pressing his lips to her, moving in sync with her. 

Thalia was clearly inexperienced, it being her first kiss, but still, Percy did his best to guide her, letting her go at whatever pace she was comfortable with. Despite the awkwardness and tears, the raw emotions and passion that flowed in the single kiss, prompted Percy to put it on his best kisses list, which was admittedly a long one.

Thalia broke the kiss a few minutes later, panting and gasping for breath, her face drowned in red. "Nothing happened. Don't get any ideas, Jackson." She hissed in warning, despite the blush that crept down to her neck. 

"Now that's the Pinecone Face I know." Percy chuckled softly, all his strife momentarily forgotten due to the mind-blowing kiss he had just received. He hugged her back, spooning Thalia, "Wouldn't dream of it."

Thalia smiled, pressing back into Percy. Her plan had worked. 

"Umm..." Percy began awkwardly, his angst, and passion-driven actions, replaced by awkwardness as he realised he had kissed the woman he viewed as a sister. 

"Shut up, Jackson. I just need..." Thalia's voice choked, "...some comfort." 

Percy pushed aside his feelings on the matter, opting instead to hug her tightly, genuinely believing her lame excuse. "Wake me up before dinner."

And just like that, he fell asleep, in the arms of a woman to whom he looked at for everything. 

A woman who was more of a lover than a sister to him. 

And above all, a woman he loved back unconditionally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel the drama yet? How was the chapter? Feel free to leave constructive criticism. I personally feel that the last bit could have been better. It was written in a bit of a rush to keep up with the schedule. Ideas were added in the middle of a scene. 
> 
> Keep calm and CR7!! Keep calm and LM10!! (Messi)


	9. Realising the Reality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters are getting harder and harder to name. Help!

**_Time: A few hours later_ **

"What were you doing so long in her room?!" Other than Thalia, Drew and Athena, every girl in the room screeched in perfect unison, making Thalia wince as they glared at her together. 

Percy scratched his short hair, lightly rubbing the buzz left by his military haircut, tired to his bones. He seriously had to grow out his hair again. His bleary sea-green eyes roved the room, bored out of his mind. His mouth felt dry, and his eyes still burned, bloodshot. His throat felt sore from all the screaming he had done earlier. There were dark bags under his eyes. 

He faintly noted with mild amusement that the twins and Neo were in on the 'hate Thalia' programme, throwing the powerful elder daughter of Zeus timid glares every now and then. 

For her part, Thalia seemed to bask in their jealousy, throwing gloating looks and smiles at them as she sidled next to him, suggestively leaning into him and throwing flirtatious touches up his arm. 

Percy's face drowned in gold, despite his tiredness. 

He was NOT a morning person. 

Or a night person. 

Or an afternoon/evening person. 

If he could, he would burrow into the sheets and snore away all day, only going out for meals and bathroom breaks. He never liked to get up, leaving the warmth of the bed. It was the hardest part of the day, regardless of which hour it was.

"He was just.... comforting me," Thalia spoke suggestively, a dreamy look crossing her face as her electric blue eyes glazed over. 

Artemis came to his rescue, saving Percy from blushing furiously at her implications as she jerked him towards her, throwing a harsh glare at her lieutenant. Percy almost fell over as he shifted, and turned towards Artemis with a questioning look. Artemis just turned her scathing glare on him, in response. 

Hurriedly, he turned towards Thalia, but her spot had been taken by Reyna, who was burning holes into his head.

Percy raised his arms in surrender. "What is wrong with you people? I thought that you will all hate me for this... entire harem business."

"Oh, trust me, we're angry alright." Athena snapped at him.

Percy ignored her scathing comment, something which was a constant even during his time as a demigod, choosing instead to concentrate outside. 

The night was quiet, but lively. The sky was dark, shining brightly with innumerable stars that dotted the heavens, forming a beautiful picture. The silent and deserted, beautiful yet wild, environment reminded Percy that his house was the only building for several hundred miles. The moon glowed in the sky, assuming a slight yellow tinge. The palm trees swayed gently in the perpetual breeze that occurred at such beaches, and the sand seemed to glow silver in the moonlight, an endless stretch of ivory. Gentle waves crashed on the shore, creating a gentle, pleasant sound, the white foam like horses that rode the crests of the waves. The moon's pale yellow reflection danced in the waters of the ocean below. 

All these were on the distant beach.

Maybe there was a lot of life out there, hidden beneath the waves. 

Percy scoffed, of course, there was. He would hear the insects chirping and everything had it not been for the girls chattering incessantly behind him. Who knew that the Hunters were such gossip mongers among themselves? 

For once, Percy was thankful for Athena's nerdy inclinations, as the book she had her nose in, kept her from adding to the volume.

Closer to home, some nocturnal bird flitted among the trees, the only sign of life that Percy could see through the glass door. The palm trees in Percy's backyard, (and frontyard) swayed like their brothers on the beach. Sprawled out, luxurious white deck chairs dotted around the marble bound compound, in the shade of the palm trees. Percy's large swimming pool reflected the moon, too, in its dancing waters, the moon mixing in with the reflection of the house's inhabitants. Several blankets and bottles of sunscreen lotion were scattered around carelessly, a rubber float bobbing about in the swimming pool. 

Unbidden, Percy's mind supplied him an image of a naked Thalia sprawled out in one of the deck chairs, her pale skin slick, and glistening with sunscreen. Her large, creamy tits jiggled with every breath she took, her skin smooth and soft, her erect, pink nipples glistening in the sunlight. Her long, toned legs were crossed over each other, hiding the forbidden fruit between her luscious thighs. Her ruby lips were parted as she snored slightly, a pair of dark sunglasses propped up on her head, silky black hair cascading down her bare shoulders. 

His face burned gold at the thought, reminding him of the soul-searing kiss he had shared with the rebellious punk girl a few hours back, and their cuddling session afterwards. 

Had it been completely platonic? 

Percy cursed himself for thinking like that. Of course, Thalia saw him as a brother, nothing more. There was nothing between them, he reassured himself.

The kiss was a spur of the moment thing.

Percy turned towards the table, tuning out the ceaseless chatters, closing his eyes as they waited for Hestia to come back with their food. 

He never knew why she insisted on doing everything by hand when they had a large fleet of those glowing spirit thingies that did everything magically on Ogygia.

She would just smile at him, telling him as if he were a child, that everything tasted better if prepared by hand. 

"A single pound of love and care, added to taste." She would add cryptically. 

Percy had to agree reluctantly. Hestia whipped some of the meals he had ever had, better than the nymphs at Camp Half-Blood or the ones at Olympus. Even the naiads of the kitchens of Atlantis could not compete with the hearth goddess. 

Although they could whip up the most complex cuisine and five-star restaurant dishes, they could not and would not hold a candle to the simple homemade recipes prepared by the hearth goddess.

Percy's skin stung slightly in the cold air, the slight chill feeling delicious on his skin. Percy was torn between cursing and heaping blesses on whoever had decided to install the air conditioning. It was a necessary part of any house in the middle of nowhere tropical island. His bandages, magically reinforced, stayed dry miraculously throughout the angsty fit he threw, snug and tight around his wounds. His skin felt cool on the smooth wood of the table. The talking girls were but a distant buzz at this point as he lost himself to his thoughts....

The shadows lengthening....

Whispers telling him to die... 

Annabeth laughing at him... 

The stench of the dead in his nose, the sky burning, the earth runny and muddy with blood....

He stood in the middle of it all, a single demigod against a monster army. Roars reached his ears, sparks flying as he waited to fight his last battle. His last stand. His grip tightened on Anaklusmos, the weight of his Imperial Gold battleaxe, that he had not yet been able to name appropriately, hefty and comforting in his other hand. 

The two sworn mortal enemies, met in a clash of metal and claws. The more he tried to resist, to flee, the more he fought, his body not obeying his commands. The gossiping girls were replaced with the screams of dying monsters. He felt a sword slash his chest, and screamed in pain.

"Are you okay, Percy?" He was jolted out of his nightmare, again, this time by Reyna, who was staring at him worriedly, her dark eyes shining with an unknown emotion. Her black hair, done in a braid, was thrown over her shoulder, her purple SPQR shirt snug on her toned, lithe frame. Her tanned bronze skin glistened with sweat, telling her worry for him, and her attempts to wake him up prior. Her sharp, aristocratic features and high cheekbones, just added to her beautiful visage. Despite being sweaty, Reyna carried with her a natural floral scent, that was pleasant to Percy's nasal faculties.

He examined his reflection in her dark irises. 

He was sweaty, his skin slick and glistening with clear, salty fluid. From prior experience, Percy could tell that his normally copper skin was pale, and his vibrant sea-green eyes had assumed a muddy greyish colour. Whenever he had a nightmare, Annabeth would tell him that he looked like that. Lying on the floor beneath the ex-praetor, he looked stupid with his military buzz haircut. 

He scoffed at himself. Despite the... situation at hand, he could not but think about how stupid he looked with a different hair cut. 

With a jolt, Percy realised that he was on his back on the marble floor, and the sweaty face of the ex-Roman praetor hovered above him. A drop of sweat rolled down her sharp nose, splashing on Percy's cheek, the coolness somehow anchoring him to reality. Percy's hand immediately flew up to cup her cheek tenderly. 

Yes, she was there. It was not some hallucination. 

It took him some time to realise that his head was resting on Artemis' lap, the goddess frantic. Her dark auburn hair was visible as a smudge behind the darkness of his eyes, her silver eyes oddly familiar and comforting. Her pale skin seemed to glow in the faint moonlight filtering in through the glass wall, making her seem like a heavenly apparition. 

Percy feared he was losing his grip on reality.

"You... you are real." He voiced his thoughts, cursing himself for stuttering. 

"Yes, Jackson, we are all real. At least we like to think so. Were you thinking that we are all just some imaginary characters in a fanfiction?" Thalia scoffed at the thought. "What a thought!" She added, her voice droll and devoid of humour. 

"Well, it's certainly glad to see someone is back to her usual self. But, please can you concentrate on the problem at hand?" Sydney snapped at her lieutenant. 

Reyna held a glass to Percy's lips, and he thankfully drowned its contents, the cool water moistening his lips, and softening his parched throat. 

It was a fresh breath of life.

Percy stared at Reyna thankfully, before lying back, letting the cool marble touch his bare, sweaty body with its relaxing touch. He felt the chill invading his bones, his skin stinging in the cold, but he did not care. His ears, his nerves felt on fire, the adrenaline frightening nightmare not receding a bit as the seconds ticked by. 

He heard a soft pattering of feet, before Piper rushed in holding a black leather bag which Percy assumed she had picked up from the infirmary. When had she left? 

"Here." Rose fumbled about for a bit, before she produced a slightly crushed ambrosia cube from her pocket.

Violet smirked. "Glad to know I'm surrounded by geniuses who can keep their heads calm in an emergency." 

Aphrodite glared at her. "You don't know what you are talking about." 

Artemis shot the love goddess down with her own vicious scathing voice as Thalia slowly fed the cube to Percy, washing it down with chilled nectar that Angela had procured. "Keep quiet, Aphrodite. We had decided on something." 

The rebuked goddess withered as she was glared at by Artemis, Hestia, and Calypso. 

Percy stared at them as Piper held his pulse, muttering a healing song under her breath. "What..." Percy coughed, "What are you hiding from me?" 

Artemis looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "Umm... yo-you see-w-we..." She stuttered out before falling silent, her face a dark shade of gold as Aphrodite smirked victoriously at her. The moon goddess was too embarrassed and mortified at her own slip up to care to retaliate. 

Hestia came to her rescue. "Percy... there is something concerning this harem, regarding the Ancient Laws. We- the immortals you know about it-" 

Athena interrupted her. "I did not vote on continuing to spoon feed this man child." Before returning to her book. 

And as always, she was ignored. "We will let you know about this after you get in control of your godly powers. There is a lot standing in your way, before you, and by extension, all the other girls in the room, can know about the thing we are talking about. There is more than meets the eye. You are not realising the entire truth, Percy." She spoke softly, trying not to anger or irritate the short-tempered demigod any further. 

"W-what do you mean?" Percy asked, wincing as he watched Piper pull out ANOTHER syringe, filled with a clear water-like fluid. She tapped the glass clinically, and Percy watched with dread as a glistening bead of fluid appeared on the tip of the needle, rolling down the glinting steel. 

"Just what I mean, Percy. You have to get a hold of your powers before you can learn about this. This... this is dangerous." She added, her eyes watering at the thought. 

Percy's eyes widened as he saw the gently dispositioned hearth goddess almost on the verge of tears. An expression shared by everyone else in the room, as Hestia started sobbing quietly. She tried to stop the tears streaming down her beautiful face, rubbing her eyes with the back of her palms, but they just kept on coming. 

"Hey, you okay?" Phoebe asked worriedly, sidling up to the goddess, as Atalanta took the goddess' other side, "What she means to say, is, if you can share with us what's wrong?" 

Hestia just choked back a sob, not ceasing her relentless crying, shaking her head violently from side to side, sending her beautiful brown tresses flying everywhere. 

Everyone had dropped whatever they were doing. 

Rose and Violet were staring at her and then staring back at each other. Neo had unconsciously cuddled into Thalia, who was slack-jawed herself. Piper had halted in her tracks, the tip of her dreaded injection pressing softly into Percy's skin at his bicep. The normally bright and glowing moonlace flower in Calypso's caramel hair had wilted, despite its proximity to Artemis.

They were not the only ones. Nobody had ever seen the hearth goddess, herself a beacon of hope, ever cry. The last time she had cried was when she had been almost raped by Priapus. That day, at least one-quarter of the mortal world died, plagues and epidemics rilling through the land, killing man, beast, deity and plants alike, as the hearth of Olympus reached an all-time low.

Even Athena had dropped her book, staring at Hestia worriedly, and Drew was looking at her mother worriedly. 

Somewhere in the chaos, Aphrodite had started crying, too, her perfect makeup streaked with tears as she sobbed uncontrollably, clutching her knees to her chest. 

And she couldn't be blamed. Most, if not all people in the room, were crying or teary-eyed. 

It was almost as if none of them had ever felt hope. Despair, death, and malice swam in the air, as the source of all that is good gave herself to the depths of depression. The already cold, yet welcoming air in the building became freezing, as all warmth fled from the building. 

The very world became cold and choppy, the temperature dropping several degrees. The winds picked up, roaring as it blew and caused untold destruction, ripping and uprooting many trees. The waves of the sea rose higher than ever, crashing violently on the beach. The water itself darkened, as all fires around the world dimmed simultaneously. The moon and the stars were blocked out by clouds, the mortals experiencing worldwide blackouts, plunging the world into darkness. Boats and ships caught out in the middle of the sea, capsized, caught in violent tempests. Newborns and the extremely old, inexplicably dropped dead at the same time. 

It was a momentary dystopia. 

Even Olympus, Atlantis, the Underworld or Camp Half-Blood was not spared of the darkness that consumed the world, as an earthquake shook the very ground of Tartarus, sending gentle ripples into the endless, infinite Sea of Chaos, itself. 

Such was the power of the firstborn of Kronos and Rhea.

In the pitch-black darkness of the dining room, where the goddess herself was situated, everyone, especially the younger ones, was thrown into absolute confusion and chaos. 

In the midst of it all, Percy could feel himself losing his grasp on reality. Again. 

The thin fabric of what is real and what is not, slipped between his fingers.

He was again in a dark, closed cabinet, filled with cobwebs and lined with a thick layer of dust. The urge to sneeze was too great, but he dis not give in to the temptation, suppressing the tickle in his nose through sheer willpower. He held his breath, sweat rolling down his forehead due to the heat and anticipation. The dark pupils in his unusually dull sea-green eyes were dilated in crippling fear, his normally tanned skin pale as paper. His thin, malnutritioned body, broken and crippled in many places, and unusually small and undersized for his age, fit in perfectly into the cabinet meant for toiletries.

He was not playing hide and seek with a loving step-father. He was hiding from guaranteed crippling pain, or potential death. 

"Brain boy!" A drunken voice slurred, making Percy resist the urge to whimper. Despite his best efforts, a soft pathetic, whimper escaped his traitorous lips. 

He winced, curling in on himself, as a heavy, and loud set of footsteps passed his cabinet, stopping for a moment, making his heart lurch and falter. He let out a soft, almost silent sigh of relief as his tormentor passed him. 

"There you are!" An ugly face appeared between the panes of the cabinet, which had been thrown open, and blocking the light that Percy so craved. An ugly set of yellowing teeth displayed in an equally ugly, sinister smile of the ugly face of a walrus, which also went by the name of Smelly Gabe. 

Percy screamed as he was wrenched out of the horrible dream. There was a stinging in his right arm, and he could not see anything. Nor could he breathe. 

Was this another nightmare?

He struggled with all his might against the suffocating force, when suddenly, he could breathe again. He gasped, thankfully gulping in fresh breaths of air. 

He looked around, and saw, indeed he was in the real world, thankfully. There were several girls holding him down so that Piper could inject him with whatever she was holding. The lights were back on, and everything was going normally, well, as normal as it could after such a large... incident. 

"...temporarily anchors him to reality," Calypso finished explaining something to a worried Artemis, before turning to an equally worried, if not more so, Thalia, "And yes, these... 'fits' as you call it, will continue to happen. We can cure him permanently, but given the fractured state of his mind, it would not be advisable, for fear of causing irreparable damage." 

Piper zipped up the bag, before keeping it aside carefully. Atalanta, who was sitting beside him, asked, "How at you-" 

She was cut off when a teary Hestia flung herself at Percy. She hugged him tightly, almost suffocating him, patting all over his form as if yo check for injuries. When she found none, she laughed beautifully to herself, before straddling his body, pinning him down with her weight.

Hestia stared a blushing Percy dead in the eye. Her bottom lip trembled with emotion, her eyes shining with unshed tears. Her cute button nose was red and puffy, her warm brown eyes bloodshot. Her silky brunette hair was messy, but she did not seem to care. She leaned down, her warm, soft, wet ruby lips only a hair's breadth away from his, her hair framing her face and blocking out the outside world. 

Percy was conscious of her warm breath in his face, her large, clothed tits pressing deliciously against his bare, bandaged chest. He prayed to all the deities above that she would not notice his stirring member, her bare, soft creamy thighs were rubbing his.... 

"You are never getting rid of me," Hestia spoke seriously, her eyes shining threateningly. Percy could only nod mutely, and he meant it. 

Hestia leaned down, and whispered into his ear, "And you are never leaving me, my hero." 

Goosebumps formed on Percy's arms and chest as he agreed with the beauty straddling him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so the introductory arc is almost complete, three more chapters left. After that, I'll be working on Percy's household for the next eight chapters, before working on his relationships with the girls and sex scenes, one by one, for the next fifty-five chapters. So long!
> 
> Keep calm and CR7!! Keep calm and LM10!! (Messi)


End file.
